Plot outline:story picks up shortly after the events of “To Be or Not To Be...” left off. Jack has already admitted to being gay and while everyone is processing that this story, deals only with the effects of Pacey’s actions against the teacher and what that means for Pacey and Andie, than with Jack being gay. If you don’t like Andie and Pacey as a couple I do not suggest you read this one.

Author's Note:This story was written by my friend Sean and I, at three in the morning, when neither of us had slept for a good 48 hours and we were both looking for something to do. I made the decision to submit it to fanfic sites when I realized the sort of a lack of stories that focused on the Pacey/Andie relationship. I hope all the other people out there who love Pacey and Andie’s relationship as much as we do enjoy and you write your own P/A story for others to read. This is our first venture into fan fiction so please bear with us.

THAT DAY'S COME
By Wendi and Sean

I really do not want to be here,” Pacey grumbled to himself, as he situated behind the counter for another Saturday of work at the video store. The previous night had been one of sleeplessness, as had been many other of the past couple of weeks. Ever since his suspension from school, things just weren’t the same. Now Jack was gay, Joey was a mess because of it, and half of Capeside is talking about it. The half that isn’t is just trying to pretend they didn’t hear about. Not that Jack’s being gay bothered Pacey, in fact he was fine with it. Pacey knew what being the outcast felt like and he certainly didn’t want to treat Jack the way people have treated him his whole life.. No, the only effect Pacey had felt was Andie.

The two hadn’t spoken since the night on the docks. She had been right, he knew what he was doing when he spit in Peterson’s face, and he understood she didn’t support his actions, but she could have been there for him. For Pacey his problems with Andie had become more of trust and reliance issue than anything else.

“Damn Pacey you look like hell,” Jen’s familiar voice sounded from in front of the counter.

“Well I feel like it too, so I guess it’s evened out that way. What can I do for you today Jen?” He really was not in the mood to talk to anyone, but was trying his best to be civil to everyone.

“Nothing really, I have a stay in date tonight, so I figured I’d come down here to find a flick for it. I didn’t expect you to be working though. I guess you could tell me if anything interest has come in lately. If you want to that is.”

“Not really,” Pacey muttered under his breath.

“Did you say something?”

“To tell you the truth Jen, I haven’t been paying much attention to what’s been in lately,” as he mouthed those words, he saw Joey come in through the door.

She looked probably just as bad, if not worse than he did. She was entitled to it though, or at least Pacey believed so. “She left the love of her live for a guy who turned out to be gay, who could blame her for looking like hell,” he thought.

“Okay I’ll just take this one,” Jen placed a copy of Hope Floats on the counter. She wondered why Pacey was being unusually cold today. The only reason she could fathom was relationship problems. Which from personal experience was an issue she knew not to push.

Silently he rang her up “Thanks Pacey, I’ll see you later.”

All this time Joey had just sort of been lurking around the store. Not saying anything or actually even looking for anything. Just sort of lurking.

“Her Joey, what’s up?”

Civil wasn’t’ hard to do with Joey. Especially whenshe was in a state that was worse than his.

Joey shyly pushed her hair behind her ears as she always did. “Nothing really, it movie night so I figured I’d see what you guys had today.”

“Okay I’ve got you there Joey, a) Dawson has a movie collection ten times larger than this one and b) he got movies for you guys’ movie night three days ago. So you can’t possibly be here for that reason. Although I’m not even close to sure why you are here?”

“Truthfully Pacey, I came to see you. Don’t ask me why, I guess I just needed someone to talk to who is in just as much pain as I am.” She grimaced at the thought of someone else actually being in her kind of pain, especially a friend being in that kind of pain.

“So what about you any luck with Andie?”

She took a seat in the empty chair behind the counter.

Pacey made a clicking sound with his tongue before speaking, “Yea if you count seeing her once in the past two weeks progress, and the three phone messages she’s left me. God, I mean I don’t understand why this is so hard for me. I know that all I have to do is call her, or show up at her house and things would be fine with her. But it hurts Joey, it hurts to think that after all she’s done for me, the one time I needed her more than ever she wasn’t there. She wasn’t there because she chose not to be. Ahh...” He became unable to articulate the rest of his feeling into words. “Then again I really have no room to complain about my problems with Andie to you. You’ve had your own share of it lately...How are you doing now.”

His question truly was sincere, he had worried about how she’d been since it all came up.

“As well as could be expected. I mean it’s not every day you find out the guy you’ve been seeing is gay, but I’ll survive. I mean surprisingly some people I wouldn’t have expected have been there for me. I mean of course there’s Dawson, but I mean people like Jen and Bessie.” She paused and nodded her head several times. “Yea, I’ll survive.”

“I’m glad someone will. Really I don’t think the news has been easy for anyone, but like I said when it started Jack’s my friend, and I’m gonna be there to support him gay or not....” Pacey paused realizing how one sided his words sounded. “When I say that I mean you’re one of my oldest friends and I’ll also be there for you too Joey, don’t think I meant I would be there for you.....This place is dead, I’m gonna see if I can get off early. You wanna go get some coffee or something?”

“No I can’t. It’s movie night , remember...I really should be going.” She stood to leave. “Hey Pacey, you asked why it was so hard for you, this whole thing with Andie. I’m not sure if my answer is exactly right but I can give you my take on it. That is if you want it.”

He was open to anything, any possible answer anyone could fathom. “Shoot away, Joey.”

“Well, Andie’s done so much to help you grow, and because of that you’ve sort of put her up on a platform, that no one else can reach. And when in your eyes she tried to take a step down, it scared you so much you went into shock. You never been in love, real true love like what you have with Andie, before. And you don’t know how to treat it, instead of on a platform, you need to realize Andie’s as human as you are. She needs to be treated as your equal, not your idol. But that’s just my opinion Pace.” As she reached the doors a thought invaded her mind.

“Hey Pacey.”

His glance had never turned from her, so he simply raised his eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she rolled her eyes at him and walked out the door.

“Happy Valentine’s Day. I hate Valentine’s Day.”

Pacey spent the remainder of his hours at work pondering Joey’s view on his relationship. Maybe that was it, he hadn’t treated Andie as his equal, tried to make her live up to, too much. Then somewhere within his thought it hit him, why he was holding this event so harshly against Andie.

Andie sat alone in her room with the radio on, but not really paying it any attention.

“Knock, knock.” Jack stood in the doorway. “I know you’re not mad at me, or anything, but is there some reason you haven’t come out of your room all day. You got dressed, and took a shower only to go back in your room and stay there all day. Why?” Even though Jack was going through his own scrutiny, he worried about his sister. Her mental condition had been stable at one point, but with all that had happened it seemed to be slipping.

“I just didn’t feel like leaving the house to day. You don’t have to worry, I’m not going crazy or anything. In fact I’m fine really.” Andie knew there was no way her brother would buy that lie. He knew her as good as anyone did..

He walked into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. “You wanna talk about it?”

“About what? There is absolutely nothing to talk about, I told you I’m fine. So unless there’s something you want to talk about, which there can’t be much unless you’ve found your first boyfriend, then I can’t imagine what you would want to talk about. So talk about what?”

“About why you've been listening to the same Sarah McLachlan album for two weeks straight....About you and how this whole deal has gotten to you. And I don’t mean the deal about me, I mean what’s going on with you and Pacey.”

Andie saw the concern in her brothers eyes, she wanted to open up and pour her heart out to him. Tell him how much she hurt inside because the man she was in love with was ignoring her, and how she couldn’t figure out how to get through to him. But he didn’t need all of her problems poured on to him, he was dealing with enough of his own.

“Jack there’s nothing to talk about as far as me and Pacey go. Right now if anyone would know anything about us, it would be you. You see and talk to Pacey more than I do....Wait tell me one thing, Pacey’s not gay now is he?? Because that would really crush me, I mean not to mention it’d be really weird.”

Jack laughed, knowing his sister was only half joking, “No Andie Pacey’s not gay. Really as much as I do see him, he doesn’t say much about you. He doesn’t say much about anything, he just sort of listens...” He paused not sure whether to say the next thought that came to his head or not. “Andie, he loves you, you know that right?”

She gave a half hearted smile, thinking how she'd give anything to hear Pacey say that right about now. "I think so. Jack I love him so much, why can’t he see that?” Tears began to well up in her eyes. “I’ve tried and I’ve tried to get through to him, but ever since that night on the docks he’s been completely cold to me. I know I spent a lot of time trying to push him and now when I finally want to let him in, he’s pushing me away...” She bit her lip hard enough to leave imprints. She looked into her brother’s eyes realizing he was searching for something meaningful to say back to her.

“Jack you don’t have to say anything, it’s good enough you’ve been listening.”

“Andie I wish there was something I could say. Something I could do to make it better, or easier for you. You’re my sister and I hate seeing you hurt like this.”

“It’s okay Jack. We’re in the same boat, siblings who as much as they want to help the other, there’s really nothing either can do.”

Jack nodded in agreement. At the same time something in his instinct drew him to the window.

What he saw was Pacey making an attempt to climb up the wall to Andie’s window. Something Pacey had done once before , but had become much more difficult when carrying more than just a rose.

Jack couldn’t help but burst into laughter, with impeccable timing, Andie had left and was in the bathroom. “You know we do have a door Witter,” Jack tried to say that loud enough for Pacey to hear but not for Andie to hear.

“Jack did you say something?” Andie called from the bathroom.

“No. just talking to myself.” He turned back to Pacey with gifts tucked under his arm, he had made it about a quarter of the way up the gate.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Painting the Mona Lisa, what the hell does it look like I’m doing. I’m making a repeat window performance to impress you sister... Speaking of her, where is she.”

His words came out in huffs as he struggled to make it up..

“She’s in the bathroom,” Jack whispered. “But she won’t be there forever.”

“Jack what’s going on?” Andie was still in the bathroom but on her way out.

“Um you might want to come in here and see. I think there’s a way I can make things better for you.” Jack looked back to Pacey who shot him the look from hell.

“Good luck Witter,” Jack murmured helping Pacey up the last little bit, then making a quick exit.

“Jack what’s going on out here?” Andie looked up in shock, “Pacey, what are you doing here?”

Pacey gave half a smile. “I’m sorry, I’ve stopped believing in door bells.”

Andie gave a small laugh, then felt a pain run through her body. She turned her back to Pacey.

“Wait Andie, before you go all cold and shut me out like you are completely entitled to the way I’ve been treating you lately, just hear me out.” He closed his eyes in hopes she’d turn back around and say something.

“Okay,” she spoke below a whisper, and tried hard to fight back tears she could feel were welling up.

The two then moved over to the bed and sat down, Pacey tried to take Andie’s hand but she pulled it away.

“All right, you’re entitled to hate me right now, but just listen. Don’t say anything until I’m finished okay.” Andie nodded and Pacey began.

“These past two weeks have been really hard on everyone, right. And I know I’ve been terrible to you, but I couldn't figure out why. At least not until today. Joey came to the store today and we talked. She tried to explain why she thought I was having such a hard time accepting why you weren’t there for me that day. She tried to tell me that I had never been in love like this before and that I hand you held in such high esteem I couldn’t except the fact that you made mistakes like anyone else. And on most accounts what she said was true.”

“I had never been in love. Not until I found you, and I wasn’t treating you like my equal, I was treating you like you were better than I was, because that’s how I was taught to treat people.”

“But none of that is the real reason I couldn’t accept your decision. It’s because I’m scared Andie. I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life, I’m afraid that one day you’re going to wake up and realize that I’m not what you thought I was and that you can do better than me, because you can. I was afraid of losing you, because you’re the one person who has never pushed for me to change, you accepted me, and in turn by accepting me you changed me. And when I got scared I started to push you away, the same way you tried to push me away before.....Okay I’m done now.” He closed his eyes and waited for Andie’s response.

“That’s it...” Andie seemed confused. “You are so stupid Pacey, and I don’t mean to call you stupid, but with this you are. You honestly think, that I would just wake up and say ‘goodbye.’ That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!...” She paused and calmed down for a minute.

Pacey looked like he was in shock, that certainly was not the response he’d expected.

“Pacey, I love you. Nothing’s going to change that.”

“I know that know Andie, I just had to realize it for myself. Andie I promise I will never hurt us, no hurt you ever again over something that stupid. But that was something I had to realize before we could move on.”

She smiled and nodded her head, finally understanding what he meant.

“I love you McPhee.” He reached over beside him to hand her the Vanetine’s Day gifts he brought with him. “Happy Valentine’s Day”

She laughed at them. “You know I hadn’t realized it was Valentine’s Day, but smashed roses and crushed chocolate was just what I wanted.”

The pair laughed, as they moved in for a long lingering kiss. The kind of kiss shared by two people in love on Valentine’s Day.