Summary: After Adam and Joan's last date, the best night of her life turned into the worst. Adam, wanting nothing more than to see his Jane happy again, decides to plan the perfect evening.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I can only borrow.

Note: This was the result of a couple of final exam study breaks that raged out of control. I haven't had alot of sleep, so be warned. Hopefully it makes sense. Please, please review! Positive feedback will get you more stories once I finish writing about the advances in information technology.

Happy New Year

Chapter 1

Adam waited patiently for Joan to say goodbye to Judith. Her request this morning to accompany her to the cemetery after school had surprised him, but pleased him too. He'd been so worried about her and her refusal to face Judith's death. She was hurting so much, and there wasn't anything he could do to make it better. Maybe now she could come to a sort of acceptance that could give her some peace. And maybe she would smile again.

He noticed Joan stand up out of the corner of his eye and waited for her to approach him. She was walking slowly, as she had when she had approached the grave, and even from a distance he could see her tears. When she reached him, she buried her face into his shoulder as he held her. He could feel her shoulders shake with a suppressed sob. She pulled away, took one last glance at Judith's headstone, and moved to walk away. Adam put his arms around her when he felt her tremble from the cold and from her grief as he led her to the car.

The drive back to Joan's house was silent. He held her hand as he drove and glanced with concern in her direction. She simply stared out the window.

Joan was still crying a bit as Adam walked her to the door of her house and let them both inside. She finally turned to him. "Adam, thank you for coming with me. But I think I need to be by myself for awhile. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem Jane. Call me later, ok?"

She gave him a small sad smile, touched his cheek, and headed upstairs.

Helen walked into the entry way and saw Adam standing there, looking up the stairs where Joan had gone.

"Adam?"

"Oh, hey, Mrs. G."

"Is everything ok? You and Joan didn't have a fight or anything, did you?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. I took Jane to the cemetery today. She went to see Judith's grave."

"Thank God she finally went. Is she ok?"

"I think she will be. It's just hard to say goodbye to someone. Well, um, I should get going. Tell her to give me a call later, ok?"

"I will. Oh, Adam? Thanks."

He nodded in response as he headed out the door.

Joan was sitting on her bed, her head on her knees which were drawn up toward her chest. She had been right - it hurt so much to say goodbye to Judith. There was a heaviness, an ache in her chest. And yet she felt so empty, like she had been hollowed out. She hugged herself tightly, wishing that feeling would go away. She didn't hear the knock on the door or her mother open it.

"Honey?"

Joan didn't answer her, so she went to sit near her on the bed.

"I wish I could make this better. But it will get better, I promise. It won't hurt like this forever."

Joan looked up a little. "Will it ever stop hurting?"

"Well, not completely. It just gets different. You'll always miss her, but eventually you'll be able to smile when you think of her instead of cry."

"This sucks."

"Yeah, it does. Listen, dinner will be ready in a little bit. Do you want me to bring you a plate?"

"I'm not really hungry."

For once, Helen didn't argue with her about the importance of eating. Figuring Joan needed some time alone, she just put her arm around her daughter and gave her a kiss before heading out the door to finish dinner.

Adam sat in his shed idly playing with some scraps of metal. He hoped Jane was doing ok. He tried to remember the last time he'd seen her really happy and realized it had been on their date. Dinner had been wonderful, and she looked so beautiful. Standing there on the porch in the moonlight after they kissed, he'd been in awe as she'd almost been glowing. She'd told him it was the best night of her life. Unfortunately, it soon became the worst night of her life. Judith's death had been hard for all of them, but Jane was devastated. They were best friends, almost like sisters. Ever since, Jane had almost seemed like a shadow of herself, quiet and withdrawn. Maybe now, he hoped, she could start to move on.

Adam desperately wanted to see her smile again like she had on their date. This year had been so hard for her. Getting sick, shipped off to crazy camp, her family getting sued, and losing Judith were way more than any kid, anyone, should have to deal with in one year. Hopefully next year would be a good one for her, and for them. That gave him an idea. He would plan another date, for New Year's Eve.