Faith Hope and Love

"Let me guess, listen, observe, be available? This I know, metaphor, I have a choice, and oh, " she waved a bit, "that."

Cute Boy God nodded approvingly. "Now, want to hear what I have to say?"

"Okay, yeah. I admit," Joan sighed in a put upon why me way, "it works better when I do. So have at it."

He grinned a bit. "Did you ever wonder why I put up with your doubts after last May?"

Joan didn't want to admit it but, yeah, she did, and besides, she'd looked up omniscient, just like He told her to. So, she knew that He knew that she did.

"I know you read the Older Testament- over in the more recent one, I gave Paul a pretty good line, to send to Rome. "

"Mom just has that KJV, I can't get all the thees, and thous," Joan protested. "But I am trying that Message version. It's not too hard, but haven't gotten far. It's new."

"It went to the effect - all things work out for those who are called according to My plan. "

"Okay. So there was some good in my doubting." That made no sense at all.

"Patience is a virtue, Joan. This you know." She nodded, reluctantly. "The doubt was not good. This also you know. BUT, the journey was important."

"Because now I know that life really sucks when You are ignored. "

"More than that, but true. Good, you are learning. That is the main principle, but under it are all kinds of sub headings. Like how important love, belief, second chances, and so on are. That you can come back to someone you love, if you believe in them."

"This," Joan said, "is not about me, is it?"

"In a way, yes. Everything you learned are lessons you learned so you can help. Oh, look, speaking of lessons, your next class is about to start. New teacher today. Time to learn more. Another A would really be a good idea. "

"Remember the last time- oops, sorry, of course you do. "

"Yes, saving lives is what I remember."

Eagerness or dread pushed her into her Creative English Lit class. Price had felt her searching for a fit last year showed promise, so she was in more challenging classes. The main challenge in this one was ignoring-

"Getta load of the new teacher. H-o- T. Think she'd -"

"Shut up your idiot," she hissed.

Friedman. His mouth ran on in any class.

Well , Joan would admit, the new teacher did look kind of like the sort of beauty she'd like to be, if she hadn't gotten past all that appearance stuff in a very stinky, humiliating way.

As the bell rang, the teacher drew their attention. "I'll be subbing here while your regular teacher recovers from open heart surgery- and you know that can take a while. So get used to me. I'm Miss Williams. As I understand - you were studying Cervantes and had just seen Man of La Mancha. So- pop quiz. An essay on what you got out of seeing it. "

"What if you got nothing?" one smart Aleck asked.

"There's so much though. Belief's power, was Don Quixote crazy, Aldonza's life before and after, the possibilities are there."

"Whatever happened to multiple choice," someone muttered.

"Multiple guess you mean," Sarah Williams corrected. "It doesn't really show that you know anything, just that you can play the odds. "

Murmurs of "not fair " rippled through the room.

"And what is your basis for comparison?" Sarah asked them with a thin smile. "Get writing. Time is short."

Even though Joan was no more thrilled with this assignment than anyone else, she had a familiar feeling in her heart. He'd been directing her here. And she could really identify with the crazy old knight. When she'd thought she was hallucinating, life had been so blah. It had gotten worse when she's actively tried to get away from God. The words came easily for once.

Okay, okay. Thanks- since You are probably listening. I know this ain't me.

Isn't.

Cool- she could talk to Him without Him being visible. That could make things easier.

When Joan handed in her essay, she felt good about it, albeit kind of naked in a metaphorical way. For the first time, she readily admitted to how terrible it felt to believe that everything she believed was false and how much worse it was to see how it affected others. She didn't exactly use the G word, but wrote around it.

When Adam later asked why her eyes were red, Joan realized she'd cried a little, but wrote it off to allergies, after she glanced quickly around to make sure that there was no kindly old lady, gothic punk, cute guy, overly cute little girl, etc. staring at her with thou shalt not bear false witness in His eyes.

Dinner passed normally, no crisis discussed, just her brothers' smart mouths running on. When Joan accepted that her life was real, she'd decided to check out His book a bit more, so that maybe there'd be fewer surprises. Listening to space boy and Kevin made her feel sympathy for Simon Peter. How many times must I forgive my offensive brother, or something like that? Seventy times seven? No, that was the final answer. Whatever, it couldn't be much longer before they hit the line of seventy times seven.

When she turned on the radio or tv, it was just the same old news person or dj talking. Her cell didn't ringtone Amazing Grace. No one with a mysterious wave accosted her on the way to school. Had all she had to do been write a paper? One she hadn't even felt like she was writing herself. It couldn't be just that, could it?

Then, Ms. Williams asked her to come by after school. Spaceboy would have to go home alone.

"Joan, sit down."

"Did I flunk the paper?" she asked nervously. "I know I misspelled a couple of those weird names, but "

"Easy, Joan," Sarah laughed. "You did all right. Especially compared to someone who thought Don Quioxte had a really good pick up line that he totally wasted."

"Friedman."

"So this is his typical line of thought?"

"Fraid so. "

"Mmm. There was something very personal about your writing. I just wondered about it. Not too many people tilt windmills these days, and most young people are trying so hard to grow up that belief is lacking."

Joan wasn't sure what to say. Could she say, hey, I talk to God and He told me to use my experiences to help someone and I think it's you?

Sarah went on in the slight gap that Joan didn't put her own words inside. "When I was your age, I believed in everything, then I stopped. I believed that it was all still there, but that I'd walked too far away."

"Did you want to be like a nun?" Joan asked, thinking about her mother's ex nun friend that made her read weird books. "I guess they'd let you still, if well, I don't know what it takes to be a nun."

"No, that wasn't it. It's hard to explain."

Joan thought hard, trying to figure out how to say what she meant and not sound whacked out. She still hadn't matched up a lot of stuff in the Book with what she understood, but she did remember how she'd felt like she was being torn in two when she had to face God again after walking away from Him. It was like that stuff towards the back, one of the J chapters about the double minded person being storm tossed. That's what Sarah Williams' face looked like.

"Try me. I don't know if I can help much, but if you want to believe and it's in something real, then life's a lot easier if you do. Because if you don't, there's a lot of hurting going on. Don Q didn't fall apart on his own, he took everyone else down with him."

Sarah had been twirling a pencil. "Sometimes, second chances don't come or come too late."

"It was too late for him, he like died. But if he hadn't been broken down, then I guess he could've kept on, even if he did seem nuts. Nuts or not, life was better for Aldonza when she could believe in him."

"She was so cruel to him at times," Sarah mused, though Joan didn't really think she meant Don or Aldonza.

"He still loved her," Joan agreed, and she didn't mean them either, admitting to herself that she'd been harsh with God. "That made a new start possible. "

"Yes... thank you, Joan. I can see why you made an A on your paper. You got it, the heart of the story."

Thrilled, Joan took her paper. No one would believe this, but she had to ask, "Uh- I was supposed to help," why did she say that?- groan- "I mean I felt like I was- uh- did I?"

"What? Oh, yes."

Unsure of herself, Joan got up to leave.

Sarah sat alone in her room. She had spent eleven years being an adult. Walking away from the past, being mature. Because she felt she had to look at the Knight of Mirrors and face the harsh truth reflected in his shield.

What had she accomplished? Nothing that would last a hundred years. As she roamed the room, picking up things that belonged in lost and found, her hand fell on a book in Joan's desk. A dollar store kind of Bible. Casually, she opened it to the spot where there was a marker to see what this insightful girl was reading.

Though I speak in tongues of men and angels but have not love,

Ouch.

"I wish I knew how to find you," she said so softly that it almost wasn't said.

"How could you forget? All you had to do was ask- when have I ever denied you a wish?"

Not daring to believe, Sarah turned towards the door. For a second, she thought it was someone else. The wild hair was gone. Jeans replaced leather pants, but the jacket was still leather. The eyes settled any doubt.

"Am I seeing things?"

"Only if you are not blind. Have you tired of the Knight of Mirrors- has truth hurt enough?" he asked tensely.

"I did what I had to."

"What did you want to do?"

"You are the one who knew my dreams."

"Yes, I do. "

"What did you want, what do you want?" Sarah asked impulsively before she could lose courage.

"The same thing in both answers."

"What?"

Before he could answer, there was a knock on the doorframe. Sarah tensed. Even normal looking, she didn't really want Price to see her with Jareth.

It was hardly Price. A Goth kid walked in. "Joan forgot her book."

Sarah had to blink once or twice. Jareth in full regalia would be closer to normal looking... then she saw the kid's eyes. They didn't belong in that face, they were too old and wise. Too kind.

Jareth took the book from her hand, bowing slightly as he handed it over. "Give Joan my thanks, please," he said softly. Now Sarah was stunned. Jareth, the high and mighty saying please and thank you to - who was that kid?

Whoever He was, was gone now.

"Jareth, I want to go with you, but people need me here," she sighed. "I agreed to this job, it would not be right to just walk out on these kids. "

By now he was sitting beside her on the desk, one hand covering hers. "Do you think I did not know that? Sarah, I have watched you every day of your life. Even when I wanted to kill you but was too weak to do so. Forcing you back is not my desire, and I do understand responsibility. "

Not able to meet his eyes, Sarah stared out the window. "Did you come to say goodbye?"

The silence stretched between them.

"Is that what you wish?"

His words caused her neck to whip around. "How can you ask that?"

"The same way you did."

"No, I don't."

"Then, no, I have not. But I am not asking you to return either," he held up one hand. "A compromise. For the rest of the year, you will live in this world, in the daylight hours. Nights belong in the Underground. When the end of your contract comes, we can renegotiate."

"I won't be a w-"

"No, you won't be. Commoners may indulge in such sins lightly, but the rules applying to royalty are strict. Your room will be yours, until you can accept all I wish to give you. However, I wish a room in your home as well. While you are in this world, so will I be. Who knows, I might decide this land is a better one to live in than the Underground. "

"Doubt it."

"So do I - but if I am to ask you to give up mortality, then I must know what I ask of you. We have time to decide. At the end of this trial, either we will both be mortal or both immortal."

Sarah felt confident enough to bait him a bit. "You are so sure I will want to be with you forever or vice versa."

"I have that on good authority, my dear," he said, one eye gliding toward where Joan and the kid had both left.

"Did he come from you?" Sarah asked.

"No. Quite opposite."

"Do you accept the offer?"

Sarah hesitated. "I'm not sure I can ask you to live like me for even a day."

"If I am willing, then you are not asking. Compared to forever, a few months is little."

Sarah's answer was a kiss. "I just had to make sure that you weren't made of flame and air."

"Oh, that I am, but more than that. You did not answer."

"Men really are from Mars," Sarah griped. "Yes, of course I accept. If that Goth kid is the boss, would I dare defy?"

"Dear girl, love is the 'boss'. "

"Well, then, I surely dare not."

At dinner that night, Helen looked very smug about something.

"Price's nose is really out of joint," she smirked.

"That might improve his appearance," Luke said.

"It's a metaphor," Joan scowled.

"I know that. Can't I try to make a -"

Kevin interrupted. "What happened? Is Joan in trouble again?"

"No."

"Thanks a lot," Joan glared at her older brother.

"He was going to ask Ms. Williams out, but when he went in to ask - her fiance was in there with her."

"Were they-?" Will asked.

"No, I don't think so. Just warning Joan and Luke, try to stay out of his way."

"No problem."

And not abide faith hope and love, these three, but the greatest is love.

An- I own nothing but taped episodes, a copy of Labyrinth, and several Bibles.