Author: Summer [Indian Summer]
1.24- Bring Me Up To Zero
Date Published: 7.01.2004
Episode Guide- As Joan tries to regain the ground she lost in her confession to Adam, Adam struggles to overcome his doubts. Meanwhile, Luke tries to define his relationship with Grace as she tries to forget it. Kevin meets up with Beth. The murder of teenage Jessica Raphael leaves all of Arcadia reeling… especially Joan, as she learns she had a lot in common with Jessica.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Joan of Arcadia.
Lila Carson is played by Taylor Cole.
This chapter/episode serves as an alternative Season One finale, happening after 1.23. It is written as if it were an episode.
Thanks Leia for acting as my beta!
As Adam walked down Mill Pond Road, the sun was just starting to rise, casting eerie shadows and making the world look grainy and dull. It was the time of day an artist loved, where everything was open to interpretation and potential loomed in the shadows. These early morning walks had been his only solace since his mother's premature death three and a half years before. That is, until Jane.
Normally, thoughts of Jane made Adam smile involuntarily, and for a moment he'd be free from the desolation that seemed forever bound to him. But only for a moment.
Now, unbidden, a voice taunted him with it's repetition, over and over again, goading, "Everything will change. Everything will change." He was happy Joan was going to be okay, happy she wouldn't be fighting her own demons for the rest of her life. But the doctor had said she'd go back to being however she'd been before.
He only knew what she was like now. He was attracted to her fluidity, how on a whim she'd quit chess and join ballet, having no previous interest in it. Unlike so many of his other classmates, she was honest in that she didn't know what she wanted to do tomorrow, let alone ten years from now. Her impulsivity didn't scare him. Like a true artist, Adam realized her flaws were what made her special. They were the mismatched hues in a Poussin, blended so subtly they changed a simple portrait to a masterpiece.
The sun rose over the trees, streaking the sky with pinks, oranges, and reds. Still the thought lingered. How different would she be?
Joan would never understand why doctors were so adamant about patients getting a good night's sleep under their care. Every time her eyelids grew heavy and the world around her started to fade, a nurse chose that moment to enter, bright and perky, a needle in hand. She was starting to wonder if God really did exist, and this was just yet another cruel joke.
As the nurse came near, Joan rolled over in protest, mumbling nonsensically about cruel and unusual punishment.
"Joan, it's time for me to take your temperature. If you cooperate this will go much quicker and you'll be able to get back to sleep."
"No," Joan grumbled, pushing her head further down into the pillow.
"Cooperation is a means toward eternal gratification, Joan."
Joan, groaned, flipping over on her side and opening one eye to look at the nurse. She was a thirty-something platinum blonde wearing the signature loose-fitting white frock of a uniform. Joan hadn't seen her before. "You know my name and you're spouting out confusing phrases," Joan babbled, glaring at the nurse. "Are you… you? What are you going to do now? Sentence me to eternal damnation for turning against you?"
The nurse frowned. "I have the 6-2 shift, Joan. And your records have your name. It's okay. Once we get your fever down a little more, everything will make sense again."
Tears welled in Joan's eyes as she grasped the meaning of this. "You aren't you. Okay. So I was screwed over again. Great." She stopped fighting and let the nurse insert the thermometer into her ear as a single tear crept down her cheek.
OPENING CREDITS
Generally, Grace Polk didn't let things disturb her, especially not enough to disrupt her sleep. The events of the previous day had been an exception.
When the rays of the early morning sun reached her window and cast a natural light across her small room, she was already up, white knuckled as she pulled on the laces of a blue chuck, very possibly cutting off circulation to her foot in the process.
Hearing a hesitant knock, she glanced up at the door as her father eased it open. He'd been very good about her privacy since the time he'd walked in on her changing during freshman year, only to discover she had breasts.
"Grace?"
"What?" she grunted, knotting the laces.
"I was seeing if you were up. I have to go to the synagogue, but I wanted to tell you there's some grapes and apple slices in the fridge for you. And to remember you promised to help pack at 6:30."
He tried, he really did. Grace nodded. "Okay."
"Bye Grace. I love you." He seemed to pause, as if expecting her to respond, but she looked up blankly. He shook his head, resigned to a relationship with his daughter in a perpetually changing state of limbo.
Helen Girardi liked to think her emotional strength had increased since Kevin's accident, that she could handle anything life threw at her. Seeing Joan like this brought her back to that same dark place she'd been over a year earlier, where not even her sleep was safe from worry.
Even though the doctors had repeatedly assured her Joan would be okay, she'd camped out on the sofa for the night, keeping a vigil by Joan's bedside. In her weak mental state, she'd convinced herself she wasn't going to fall for that again. When she'd left Kevin's bedside, just long enough to get a cup of coffee, everything had gone horribly wrong.
"Mom."
Helen's head snapped up at Joan's mumbling, and in response she whispered, "How are you feeling, honey?"
"Cold," Joan said softly, and in her attempt to reach out for her mother's hand, she dragged the IV with her. "Ouch."
Helen smiled and approached the bed. "Your fever went down, honey. You're going to be okay." She perched on the corner of the bed, and Joan rested her head on her lap. Helen sighed, running a hand through her daughter's matted hair.
Until yesterday, science had only failed Luke Girardi once. And even then, he'd been able to convince himself that Kevin's accident had simply been a metaphysical occurrence, something the events of the previous months had been leading up to.
But try as he may, he could not explain yesterday in terms of science. He'd looked at the medical science behind Joan's illness. He'd even provided a metaphysical reason for Joan's sudden preoccupation with God and the devil.
He'd given Grace the scientific theories for Darwinistic evolution that supported the existence of love. And he'd almost been able to fool himself into believing it was true. But then she'd done something that not even Galileo could've predicted. She'd kissed him. And that shouldn't have happened. Grace Polk was like Helium. She was strong and sturdy, and avoided bonds as if her life depended on it. She was supposed to be a constant.
He glanced up at the elevator control panel, as the light bounced from floor 2 to 3. He hoped science was right and Joan would be okay.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
"Who called it in?" Will Girardi asked as a uniform flicked on the lights in a parking garage to reveal the body of a teenage girl, barely covered in a blood soaked sarong and a ripped tank top.
"Those two over there," Detective Toni Williams responded, nodding to a young couple standing as far away from the body as possible. "Apparently this is Arcadia's version of Lovers' Lane," she added sarcastically.
"I'm so happy my kids have no problem making out right in front of me," Will muttered, kneeling down next to the body.
"A uniform found her wallet. There's no I.D. though. Only possible lead I see is a phone number scribbled on a piece of paper. When we get back to the station, I'll try it."
Will nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the girl. "She's probably between fifteen and seventeen. Asian descent. Has the M.E. seen her?"
"Yeah," Toni nodded. "The scene has been photographed, too."
"Good." Will gingerly picked up the girl's hand, his fingers tracing the girl's arm. "Some scratches. Small. Maybe from an animal? I don't think they're drug related, but it's worth checking out." Will froze, suddenly noticing the girl's position. "Toni, will you get those kids over here?"
If he weren't a man of science, Luke would've tried to reach out and touch the silence. It was so thick it felt stifling, and his respiratory system was starting to notice. He was leaning back in one of the hospital waiting room chairs, wringing his hands together nervously, as he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes.
"Will you stop? Seriously, Geek, it's getting annoying."
And she spoke. Luke looked up at Grace, barely having the confidence to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry?"
"Don't apologize," Grace huffed.
Luke nodded. "Um, are we going to talk about what happened?"
"Look, Geek. Nothing happened." Her eyes seemed to hold a warning, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.
"We kissed."
"And your point is?"
"That's not nothing, Grace. That's something. Technically speaking, nothing is the absence of-"
"He-e-e-y. Stop before you start doing that irritating science talk. Nothing happened. Like I said before, I'm not into you. Got it?"
Luke held up both hands in mock resignation. "You know, the last time you said that…"
Grace groaned and stood up. "Whatever, Geek."
Luke watched as she walked away, grinning. Reflecting on an earlier time, he called after her, "You can't unring a bell."
Grace stopped suddenly, and without turning around, added, "But you can stop ringing it."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
It was time for Kevin Girardi to get a haircut when it covered his eyes. He blew at his hair as he wheeled down the dairy aisle of the supermarket, but it fell right back over his face. Gritting his teeth, he turned his chair so it was facing the glass refrigeration system and studied his reflection. He ran a hand through his hair, irritated.
"You always did spend too much time on that hair," a soft voice behind him said.
There was no need to turn around. He could see her reflection. "Hey, Beth."
"Hi, Kevin." She shifted uncomfortably as Kevin turned around to look at her. "How are you?"
"I'm doing good." He really didn't want to be here, doing this. "And how are you? Don't you have a boyfriend? Where is he?"
Smooth, Kevin. As Beth's face fell, he mentally kicked himself. He stifled a smirk. Wasn't like he physically could've, anyway.
"We broke up. He wanted to get married and… well, I wasn't really ready for that."
"Marriage." Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Wow."
Beth smiled softly. "Yeah. It seemed like just yesterday when we were in high school, all worried about what colleges we were going to go to."
"And look how far that got me," Kevin replied, attempting dark humor.
Beth sighed. "That's not funny, Kevin."
"I know." He opened a door and pulled three half gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
"Who's that for?"
"Us. If you'll join me tonight in a pity party where we look back on the days of high school and complain about everything that has changed since then."
Beth smiled softy. "I'm not sure, Kevin. Is that… you know what? Yeah, sure. What time?"
"I'll get back from the hospital around 6." He paused, realizing Beth wouldn't know about Joan. "My sister's there. She has Lyme Disease."
"Oh. Tell her I hope she feels better." Beth pursed her lips, checking her watch. "So, say, 6:30?"
Kevin smiled. "Yeah."
"Jane."
Joan looked toward the door to find Adam standing there, a handful of wildflowers in his hand. She offered him a weak smile, adjusting in the bed to make room for him. "Hey Adam."
He stared at her for a moment, and Joan couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Did he think she was crazy? He'd had the whole night to consider what she'd told him.
He walked over to the bed and sat down slowly, in a subtle gesture to avoid causing her pain. She didn't bother explaining to him that how he positioned himself wasn't going to soothe her achy joints.
"I wanted to talk to you about what you said yesterday," Adam said softly, his voice tender. His gaze was warm and reassuring.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you. It was just a hallucination. God doesn't exist," Joan backpedaled uneasily, still not convinced this was salvageable.
"Jane…" His tone seemed pained, and Joan froze. He shifted his gaze to her hand, and placing his own gently over it, murmured, "I don't think you're crazy. It's just… hard for me to believe, Jane. Too hard. Ever since my mom died… I just don't see how a higher power could exist."
Joan ran her thumb soothingly along the side of his hand, waiting for him to renew their eye contact. "Then where do you think your mom is?" she asked. "Don't you want to think she's happy now, more happy than she was in life?"
Adam shifted uncomfortably, his hand jerking slightly at her comment. "I don't know, Jane. I guess I haven't thought about it much."
But as Adam raised his gaze to her own and Joan realized he was lying, she couldn't bring herself to call him on it.
It wasn't procedure to conduct a second questioning at the crime scene, especially in the presence of a gruesome murder, but Will hoped it would create the effect he desired.
"You two are sure you didn't touch the body?"
The girl, Anna, was the more vocal of the two. "I swear we didn't, officer. I mean, that's nasty. We were too freaked out," she said, tucking a strand of golden blonde hair behind her ear. "I mean, there's blood."
Anna's jeans were slung low on her hips and her tank top stopped a few inches above her navel, exposing a silver belly button ring.
The guy, Dave, was at least a foot taller than her. Chains hung from his black bondage pants and he had a ratty Misfits T-shirt on. His hair was dyed black and he had an eyebrow ring. Interesting couple.
"And you didn't see anything before we got here?"
Dave cleared his throat. "Nah. We were, erm, otherwise occupied?"
It took all of Will's strength not to roll his eyes. "Okay. Expect us to be in contact with you. And just a tip, kids. The next time you want to 'occupy' yourselves, don't go to a dark garage."
He stared at the dead girl in silence as the teens walked away. For such a brutal and clearly sexual crime, why had the killer bothered to pose her with her legs crossed and her hands covering her breasts?
Kevin paused outside Joan's hospital room when he heard her talking. He cracked the door and peeked inside to find her sitting hand in hand with Adam. "Sorry to ruin a Kodak moment," he teased, pushing the door open and rolling into the room. "But this box is going to well, freeze my balls off if I don't set it down," he gestured to a box of ice cream.
"Ugh. Kevin…" Joan's face contorted with disgust.
Kevin smirked. "You're a chick, Joan. Of course you don't get it."
"Yeah, whatever. Just hand over the mint chocolate chip." Joan held out a hand expectantly.
"You think I'm going to make it that easy?" Kevin laughed, wheeling over to her.
"What?" Joan snarled, leaning forward and glaring at her brother. "You can't wave ice cream in front of my face and then-"
"Yeah, come on, man, she's sick," Adam piped in, sharing a sickly sweet smile with Joan.
Kevin held up his hands in mock defeat. "A hug?"
Joan nodded, leaning over the side of the bed to give Kevin a hug. Patting him on the back, she pulled away. "Now how about that ice cream?"
"We were able to identify the victim by her fingerprints," a uniform told Toni and Will when they returned to the office later that day.
Will raised an eyebrow. "She has a record?"
The uniform shook his head. "No, actually she doesn't. Her mom had her fingerprints taken during elementary school. Arcadia Elementary has a day where the parents can have their kids fingerprinted, you know, in case they go missing or something."
Toni nodded impatiently. "Who is she?"
"Jessica Lynn Raphael. Age 16. 118 West Street," the uniform responded, holding out a case folder.
"Have her parents been notified?" Will asked, taking the folder.
"Yeah. One of the officers went to pick up her father ten minutes ago. He should be back with him soon."
"Send him in to me when he gets here," Will said with a nod, dismissing the uniform.
"Sixteen years old," Toni shook her head.
"My daughter's sixteen."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
"I'll be right back, Jane. I'm going to go ask the nurse to get you some water." Adam got up, then turned back to the bed and hesitantly placed a kiss on Joan's forehead.
Joan watched him leave and closed her eyes, figuring she'd have a few minutes to rest. Then she heard the footsteps. "Why are you back already?" she asked, opening her eyes.
It wasn't Adam. She took in the brown corduroy jacket and spiky hair. "What happened to free will? If I don't believe in you, shouldn't you have stopped popping in?"
"I don't pop, Joan. I can appear, walk, even hop. But I don't 'pop' in. But I think we've already established this."
"Whatever. You didn't answer my question."
"You know the answer, Joan. It's within you."
Joan groaned. "Can you be anymore vague? No? I didn't think so."
"Joan…" His voice seemed almost pained and he walked to the side of her bed. "Your having a crisis of faith doesn't mean I don't exist for others."
Joan let out a disbelieving laugh. "You're the one who abandoned me. It wasn't the other way around."
"My presence is only stronger during crises, Joan. Learn to be open to all possibilities."
Joan narrowed her eyes. "See? This is how I know you're just a hallucination. Why would God's presence be stronger in someone who doesn't believe in Him?"
He just shook his head sadly.
Adam glanced around as a nurse filled a cup of water for him. The clock read 5:30. Jane always made him lose track of time. He thanked the nurse as she handed him the cup and stepped back into the hall to find Grace walking by.
"Grace," he called after her.
She turned slowly, an eyebrow raised. "Rove."
"I didn't know you were going to be here. Don't you have to leave for that trip with your dad soon?"
Grace narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk about that. And it's tomorrow."
"Oh, right." Adam sighed, looking down at the cup of water. "My shift started at 5:00."
"You get slower by the day," Grace responded sarcastically. "You're half an hour late, Rove."
"Yeah, I know." He paused, meeting her gaze. "Would you do me a favor, Grace?"
"What?" she asked, her tone suspicious.
"I promised Jane I'd bring her some water. But I have to go. So would you just give her this cup?" He stopped, realizing it must've been hard for Grace to be at the hospital. "You can leave right after…"
Grace sighed, holding out her hand. "Okay, Rove. But only because I still owe you."
There were times he resented Kevin and Joan because of the attention his parents gave them. And now was one of those times. "So since you're coming home tomorrow, I'm not going to leave until the next day, so I'll miss orientation and the first few days," he said from his seat next to Joan's bed.
Joan lifted her eyes to meet his. "Thanks, Luke. I'm sure you won't miss anything important, right?"
Luke leaned back. "Honestly? I'm almost happy I don't have to go right away. Because Glynis is going to be there, and she's still mad at me for breaking up with her."
"Awkward."
"Yeah. And I'm still trying to figure out where I stand with Grace, so-"
"What?" Joan asked, her eyes widening.
Luke's cheeks reddened and he broke eye contact. "I don't know, it's complicated."
"What is?"
"Nothing. I shouldn't have said anything."
"Well, you did. And Grace is my friend. So tell me what you're talking about."
Luke frowned. "Nothing. She said it. It's nothing."
"But you don't think so."
She always did this. She always meddled and got involved in situations that had nothing to do with her. Luke shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't win. "It's nothing, Joan. I walked her home from the hospital last night and we talked. That's all."
"Oh. You're so boring, Luke. I thought it was going to be something interesting, un-Grace-like."
Un-Grace-like. That was one way to put it.
When the doorbell rang, Kevin had just started to wonder whether or not Beth was going to stand him up. He wheeled out of the kitchen eagerly, then counted to three and opened the door.
She stood outside, fidgeting as she looked at him. She'd pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and she had little makeup on. She was wearing a loose knee length skirt and a pink V-neck shirt. "Hi," she said softly, offering him a small smile.
"Hey," he grinned, wheeling back a little bit to allow her entrance. "Come in. The ice cream's in the freezer. I'll go get it."
Beth stepped inside, handing him a plastic bag. "I figured if we were going to throw a pity party, we might as well do it in style," she said.
Kevin looked inside the bag. A yearbook. Videotapes of his wins. A photo album. Letters. "It's a good thing I bought a lot of ice cream."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Kevin had been able to transfer himself from the wheelchair to the couch, and now he was sitting with Beth as they looked through their yearbook.
Beth pointed at a picture with her spoon. "There's Regina. Do you remember her? She was the exchange student in my Lit class."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, kind of." He flipped the page and studied a picture of himself, Beth, Andy, and Andy's girlfriend, Tiffany, at the Senior Prom. They were all smiling, with their arms around each other. "Wow."
Beth's gaze flickered across the picture. "It's weird to think it was just over a year ago, huh?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah. It is."
"I still talk to Andy and his family."
Kevin looked at her. "I don't. After the accident, I couldn't talk to any of them."
"I know." Beth smiled sadly. "They're doing okay, though."
He didn't understand why he'd ever cheated on her. She always knew just what he needed to hear. He took a scoop of ice cream and looked at her. Her eyes held a silent understanding.
Grace hated hospitals. They made her uncomfortable, and so many of her bad memories were related to hospitals. "Joan," she greeted, opening the door to her friend's room. "Rove realized his shift started half an hour ago and asked me to give you this," she said, holding up the cup of water.
Joan frowned. "Thanks."
"Yeah." Grace handed her the cup and stood awkwardly at her side. "So, uh, how are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Still hallucinating? Although I could buy that Price is the devil." Grace smirked.
"No," Joan said quickly.
"Oh. Cool. Um… my dad's making me go on some vacation with him tomorrow morning. I wanted to stop by…"
"Thanks Grace." Joan studied the girl, her eyes narrowing as she took in her unusually restless behavior. "What's going on with you and my brother?"
Grace's eyes widened. "I'm going to kill him. What did he tell you?"
Joan thought for a minute. "Everything. We're a very open family."
Grace's eyes darted around the room, as if judging the nearest escape. "I only kissed him because he took me off guard," she said defensively.
Joan's mouth hung open as she echoed Grace. "Kissed him?"
"You said he told you everything," Grace accused. Rolling her eyes, she added, "Close the mouth, Girardi. You look like a fish."
Joan's face contorted with disgust. "Ew. Grace, you're my friend. You can't be making out with my brother."
"I didn't make out with him. Now, seriously. Close your mouth." Grace glanced at the clock on Joan's nightstand. "Uh, I've gotta go. Promised my dad I'd help him finish packing tonight. See you in a few weeks."
"Grace!" Joan rolled her eyes as Grace hurried from the room.
Luke glanced up as he heard Joan's door slam. Grace stood by the door, her eyes angry. She saw him staring and glared at him.
Luke looked away quickly, his leg bouncing nervously. This couldn't be good. He heard her walk over and he could feel her presence next to him. He looked up reluctantly.
"You." She spat it as if she'd just stepped in manure. "I need to talk to you. Now."
Luke nodded, standing up nervously. "Uh?"
She led him to an elevator and pressed the button. They stood in stony silence as they waited for the elevator to return. There was a dinging as the elevator reached them, and as the door slid open, she grabbed him and pulled him into the elevator with her.
"What?" he asked uncomfortably as the doors shut.
"You talked to Joan," she said, her eyes accusing. Her hands flew up from her sides, emphasizing her words.
"She's my sister."
"You talked to her about us," she countered, her voice angry.
The corner of Luke's upper lip curved into a half-smile. "So you admit there's an us."
Grace groaned in frustration. "No. It was nothing, Luke. What did you tell her?"
"That it was nothing," he responded, sustaining eye contact. "But clearly it was something if it has you this upset."
"That's not what this is about," Grace hissed. "This is about the fact that Joan's my friend. Don't-"
"I think it is about us. I think you're too afraid to admit that there's something between us, because it's easier for you to act like you don't care about anyone."
"Stop."
"I think this is you not wanting to get hurt. I think the only reason you won't admit that you like me is because you're afraid." His voice was rising, and the elevator bell rang, signaling they were one floor closer to their destination.
"Luke, this isn't about us," Grace cried, exasperated. Luke held up a hand as if to silence her, but she forced it back down with her own. "It's not."
"I beg to differ. I think this is entirely about us. And you want to know the truth? I did break up with Glynis because of you, Grace. Everyone's always going to be second best as long as you're here," Luke shouted back at her.
Grace froze. "Stop," she repeated, her voice softening.
"No," Luke said quietly, still staring at her.
She shook her head. "I can't do this. I don't want to do this, Luke."
Luke nodded, and the elevator bell rang again and the door opened. Grace brushed past him and Luke watched her leave, unable to do anything about it. He leaned his head against the wall, exasperated, as people started to filter in.
"Jessie… that's what we all call her… called her. She was acting weird lately. But I never thought…"
Will raised an eyebrow as he took in the disheveled man's words. "Weird how? Was she acting depressed?"
Mr. Raphael shook his head quickly. "No, no. She was, I don't know, drifting. I took her to a psychologist, but she said it was just normal teenage behavior."
"Drifting how?"
"Her interests were always changing. One week she'd be trying out for band, and the next she'd be writing for the school paper. She was out past curfew a few times, but she was never a bad kid, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." Will sighed. "I know this must be hard for you to talk about, but did you notice any other differences? Was she hanging out with a different crowd? Did she have a boyfriend?"
Mr. Raphael nodded. "She had a few. She didn't want a serious relationship, she said. Most of her friends were the same. She had a few new ones, but they were just from her classes. That kind of thing."
"Did anyone stand out?"
"There was one girl she started hanging out with this year. Lila Something? She's a freshman at Arcadia College." He glanced at the clock. "She takes a lot of night classes, I think," he volunteered.
Will nodded. "Can you give me a description of Lila? What did she look like?""She's a pretty kid. Dark hair, greenish eyes. Pretty tall, maybe 5'10?"
COMMERCIAL BREAK
There was only one Lila at Arcadia College. Lila Carson, age 19. Originally from Los Angeles, and she worked as a model. Will and Toni had been searching the campus for her for over an hour now.
"Will, that's got to be her! Look!" Toni pointed to a girl exiting a Russian Literature class.
Will's eyes focused in on the girl and he nodded. "Yeah. I think it is."
They caught up with her as she was walking away from the building. "Lila Carson?" Toni called.
The girl stopped. "Yeah?"
Will cleared his throat. "I'm Detective Girardi and this is Detective Williams. Do you know a Jessica Raphael?"
Lila's eyes darted back and forth between Will and Toni. "Yeah. Did something happen to her?"
"You could say that." Will sighed and led Lila away from the rest of the students. "Lila, Jessica was murdered late last night."
Lila's hand flew to her mouth and she whimpered. "Jessie? Who would do something like that to her?"
"We're hoping you can help us with that," Will responded. "Can we ask you a few questions?"
"Yeah, yeah, go ahead," Lila answered, setting her bag down on the grass and sitting on a bench in the courtyard.
Will and Toni sat down on the bench facing her. "How did you know Jessica?" Toni asked gently.
"We were partners in crime." Lila winced. "Right, cops. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way… we were friends."
Grace had lived at 616 Mill Pond Road for as long as she could remember, but it had never been 'home' to her. As she stood outside waiting for her father to get back, she silently cursed herself for having forgotten her key.
His car pulled up and she almost smiled. Almost. She watched as he pulled to a stop and exited the car. "Why are you outside?" he called to her as he walked over, holding a square box.
"Didn't grab my key this morning," she responded.
"How many times have I told you to put it in your coat or something? It's not like that thing ever comes off your body," he added, gesturing to her black leather coat.
It wasn't entirely true, but she didn't bother to respond. "Hurry up. I've got to pack."
He opened the door, gesturing for her to enter. "How about we have dinner first? I got pizza," he said, gesturing to the box.
"Okay." She grabbed the box and brushed past him and walked toward the kitchen.
Rabbi Polonski followed her in, stopping by the fridge and pulling a photo off of it. The photo showed a five year old Grace being pushed on a swing by her mother.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked as she poured a cup of milk.
"Looking at this picture. Did you know that last week, I found it off the fridge?" He held it up for her to inspect, his eyebrows raised.
Grace rolled her eyes. "I had a friend over. A very nosy, meddlesome friend." She stopped and with a raised eyebrow that mirrored his own, added, "Joan. I think you've met her. I didn't feel like it explaining it."
Rabbi Polonski frowned. "Explaining what? That your mother was a beautiful woman and you loved her to death?"
Grace snatched the picture away from him. "She wouldn't have stopped there. She would've asked why we have such an old picture up, and why she's not here anymore, and-"
"Grace, I've talked to your friend. And while she's definitely more than a little meddlesome, as you put it, I think you'll be happier if you let someone in."
Grace narrowed her eyes and shoved her father's plate across the table, taking a bite of her own pizza in the process. Her stare seemed to stop the conversation cold.
It was getting dark when Will and Toni came back to the station with Lila. Will was surprised by the brunette's transformation since they'd stopped her outside her class. Hours before, she'd been a confident young woman, sure of her beauty and her place in the world. Now, she'd been reduced to a frightened child, her knees drawn to her chest as Toni held out a cup of tea.
Lila took a delicate sip. "Thank you."
Clearing his throat, Will continued the line of questioning. "You were telling me that Jessica had been hanging around a guy… Aidan, you said. What did you think about their relationship?"
Lila shrugged. "I didn't, really. I thought they were dating at first, but they didn't seem very romantic. I guess they were just friends. He was cute, though."
"Did you ever talk to Aidan?"
"A couple times. He was pretty elusive. Always had something to do, you know? He'd drop by randomly while I was at Jessie's, though. He seemed cool."
"Do you think he would've been capable of hurting Jessica?"
Lila shook her head. "No, not at all. He was sweet, even a little shy." She paused. "But I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt Jessie. So God only knows…"
"Do you have any idea where we could find Aidan, Lila?" Toni asked gently, her eyes telling Will to back off.
Lila shook her head. "Like I said, he's elusive. When he wants to, he'll show up."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
"We don't have squat," Will complained to Toni after Lila had left. "She couldn't give us a last name for Aidan or even a good description. And was I the only one, or did it seem like she was leaving something out?"
"Her story was full of holes, Will. For all we know, she was jealous of Jessica's relationship with Aidan. She was awfully vague…"
"That girl's going to lawyer up fast." Will sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't even know where to go from here. Everything about Jessica seems mysterious. I'm not even sure if Aidan's real."
Toni sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, Will…"
"Yeah, I know. There's nothing we can do now. I'll go home and sleep on it. Do the same." With a wry smile, Will added, "You look horrible."
Toni rolled her eyes. "Thanks."
Kevin stared at Beth's profile as she watched one of his high school football games. They'd fallen into an uncomfortable silence almost half an hour before, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. The camera had caught Jeannie Heron during a cheerleading segment.
"She didn't mean anything to me," he said softly, watching her.
Beth blinked slowly. "I know."
"What do you mean you know?" Kevin frowned. "Then why are you so-"
Beth turned to him slowly. "Kevin…" He could tell she was fighting back tears. "That's what made it hurt more. You were willing to throw away our relationship for something that didn't mean anything. You broke up with me because you didn't want your friends to think you weren't cool."
"Hey! I was cool," he attempted to joke, but Beth just shook her head.
"I don't think you get it, Kevin," Beth said, standing up and ejecting the tape. "I have to go. I guess I'll see you later."
Kevin watched sadly as she left, unsure of what to say. He shook his head as the door slammed, unable to find a way to fix everything.
"Hey Beth," Will held up a hand as the brunette rushed from his house. "Uh, bye Beth?"
Confused, he swung open the door to his house. "Kevin?" he called. "Want to tell me why Beth just rushed out of here?" He walked toward the living room, hearing the static of the television. "What's going on?"
Kevin was still sitting on the couch. "She got mad."
Will raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, Dad." Kevin huffed, turning off the TV with the remote. "She's just crazy."
Will sat down next to Kevin. "Somehow I doubt that. What was she doing over here anyway?"
Kevin sighed. "It's nothing, Dad. I'm going to go to bed now. I've been up all day."
Will nodded, and watched as Kevin transferred himself back into the wheelchair. "Kev, if you want to talk…"
Kevin smirked. "You're sounding more like mom every day."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
The next day was dark and rainy, but Joan was happy to come home. "I can't wait to shower," she said as Helen helped her inside. "I haven't washed my hair in like, sixty hours."
"I've raised a slob," Helen responded, guiding Joan to the couch.
"Ugh. Thanks." Joan plopped down on the couch. "Do I really have to just sit here for the next week? I can't even hang out with Adam?" she whined.
"You weren't even supposed to come home this early, honey. Be happy."
"Can I at least call Grace? She's leaving today."
"Leaving?" Luke asked from the hallway, poking his head into the room. "Where's she going?"
"Mom, can you tell him to stop spying," Joan countered, sticking out her tongue at her brother.
"I wasn't spying. You just talk so loud that it's hard to miss what you say."
"Whatever. Somewhere with her dad, I think."
"Oh, uh, how long is she going to be there?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Joan shrugged. "I didn't ask. You're going to be away anyway. Shouldn't matter."
"No, no. It doesn't. I was just curious," Luke responded, leaving the room.
Joan turned to her mom with a knowing look. "He has a crush on Grace."
"Grace, I think that's the last of everything. Lock the door and we'll get going," Rabbi Polonski called from the car.
Grace was about to lock the door when the phone rang. Muttering under her breath, she reentered the house. "We're not interested," she growled, picking up the phone.
"I'm not trying to sell you anything. Hey Grace."
Grace rolled her eyes. For someone just released from a hospital, Joan's tone was far too chipper. "What do you want, Girardi? I'm supposed to be leaving now."
"I just wanted to say bye. Where are you going, by the way?"
"California."
"You? Soaking up the sun in California?" Joan laughed.
"It's not like I want to go," Grace responded. "My dad's making me. And we're supposed to be leaving now."
"Oh, um, right. Well, have fun, then."
"I won't."
"Have fun, Grace."
Grace groaned as she heard a click, then slammed the phone back into it's cradle. "Coming, Dad," she yelled, hurrying back out of the house.
"Can you make me lunch, Kevin? Mom told me I couldn't get up." Joan smiled sweetly at her brother.
Kevin groaned. "I don't think I'm going to enjoy this much."
"Don't worry. Mom, Dad, and Luke will be home soon. They just had to run out to get Luke Star Trek boxers or something."
Kevin laughed. "Stuff for Space Camp. So yeah, probably." The doorbell rang and Kevin held up a hand in mock triumph. "I'm off duty."
He wheeled to the door and opened it to find a young woman standing in the rain, her dark hair dripping. "Joan, it's a friend of yours. The whole drowned rat look gives it away."
The girl glared at Kevin. "No, actually-"
"Come in. Don't stand in the rain," Kevin interrupted, moving away from the door.
"Thanks." She stepped inside tentatively.
"I've got to make Joan her sandwich. She's right in there though," Kevin gestured to the living room, brushing off the brunette.
"I'm not-" She sighed as Kevin disappeared into the kitchen. "I'm not here for Joan," she said quietly, entering the living room anyway.
Joan glanced up when the girl entered. "I don't know you."
"Yeah, I'm, uh, aware. I was looking for your dad, actually." She shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.
Joan raised an eyebrow. "He's not here. He'll be home soon, if you want to wait."
She shook her head. "I can't. I have a class. Um, my name's Lila."
"Joan."
"Yeah, I know." Lila sat down next to Joan. "Could you tell your dad something for me?" she asked nervously.
"I guess so."
"Tell him I stopped by to tell him something about Jessica."
"The murdered girl?" Her dad had filled her in on the case when he'd visited last night.
Lila winced. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, tell him that…" She drifted off, shaking her head. "I'm going to sound crazy."
Joan laughed. "If there's anybody who won't find you crazy, it's me."
Lila offered a small smile, slightly reassured. "Okay. Tell him that Jessie… she told me once that she talked to God."
Joan's stomach flipped and her eyes widened. "What did you say?" she asked breathlessly, her heart racing. Were there others?
NEXT, on Joan of Arcadia, the Alternate Season 2: It's been 3 months since Joan learned Jessica's secret. As Will's frustration grows and all the leads prove to be futile, Joan launches her own investigation. Luke returns from Space Camp and Grace returns from her family trip... but is it each other they want? Kevin hunts down Beth, ready to start fresh, as Joan befriends Lila. Helen learns that due to budget cuts at Arcadia High, her job's in danger.
Author's Note: Thanks for Reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review; it will encourage me to get the next installment up quicker!