Summary: At Joan's funeral Adam and God finally speak.
Disclaimer: I own nothing as Joan of Arcadia belongs to CBS and Barbara Hall.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who reads my stories. I hope you enjoy this. I'm adding this because I realized that this has given people some difficulty, but Adam and Joan's daughter is married. That's why her last name is Brown. In this story Joan is supposed to be in her 60's. I hope that clears up the confusion.
Rating: PG
In Their Eyes
Elizabeth Brown looked around her. Flowers, there must have been over a thousand of them. And cards too, there must have been a thousand cards to go along with the flowers. It really was beautiful a sight to see, if only it hadn't been under these circumstances. She hadn't even heard the priest begin to speak. Then he motioned for her to come up to the podium. Elizabeth cringed, she hated to speak in front of crowds but she had to do this, for her father, who she saw could barely keep himself from crying. So she did.
"First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for coming here today, I really appreciate it. My mother was a wo-" She stopped, trying to hold back her tears. "She was a wonderful person. I've never seen anyone care for people as much as she did. And I know she's probably laughing at us now, saying how we shouldn't be doing all of this for her. She never would have wanted this you know. She never wanted anything to be about her, she was always about other people. I remember my father yelling at her, saying that she needed to put herself in front of other people once in a while. You know what she did? She started talking about why he was so upset. They wound up talking the whole night about him." Elizabeth heard laughter. "Yeah, that was her. My mother saved a lot of people's lives and I think she still is-saving our lives I mean. She taught me so much about life, about love. But mostly she taught me about faith. I know she had a lot of it and I know that she'd want us to have it. I know that she's happier now where she is." Elizabeth stepped down from the podium and went back to her seat looking at the blonde woman who was now at the podium.
"Um, I don't really like to speak at these things but I guess I owe it to her. She was a great woman, a great friend and a great sister. I never told her that but I guess she knew. I hope she knew. Anyway, I hope you know what you meant to us." Grace Polk-Girardi went back to her seat and sat next to her husband. Then she saw Adam go up.
"When I was sixteen years old, I was a lost soul. I was under a dark cloud that I couldn't get out of. It seemed like there were two worlds, the world where everyone else existed and then mine, where it always rained. But then something happened, a girl with long brown hair walked into my AP chemistry class and changed my life forever. This past September we had been married for 45 years. I have loved every one of those 45 years. She was a social worker and helped out around the community, making people's lives brighter. But then last November, she got sick. But she never lost her faith. I'll love her till the day I die. Thank you Jane." As Adam was about to go back to his seat he saw a familiar face-a handsome man who looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties. He had a brown corduroy jacket with jeans. He nodded at him. Adam knew that this was God. Joan had spoken to God till the day she died. Adam could never figure out how she never got mad at him for allowing her to get sick. For nearly fifty years Adam let Joan have her relationship with God, not butting in, but now he was going to say something to God. He waited for the others to gather their stuff. He marched up to God, pissed.
"Are you happy?"
"You know I'm not Adam."
"Then how! How could you let this happen? You let her get sick and die! After everything she did for you, all of those meaningless tasks. And you let her die."
"Joan didn't think her assignments were meaningless. She knew they weren't. She also knew that her time was up Adam and she accepted it." Adam was furious and in tears.
"Why would you put her through that? She was in so much pain, and then she got better. She was doing fine, and then….you killed her!"
"I didn't."
"Didn't you love her?"
"You know I did. I love everyone Adam. I love you, and your daughter, and Grace, Luke, and I love Joan."
"Loved," Adam corrected him.
"No Adam, I still love her. She still exists, just not the way you'd like her to. She's alive, she's in your head, but more importantly," God said pointing to Adam's heart, "she's in here. That's how you'll keep her with you forever Adam." Adam was sobbing.
"But…she…helped…so many people. She loved helping people. That's all she ever wanted to do."
"And she still is." Adam looked questioningly at God. "Don't you see it Adam? Joan wasn't this extraordinary being, she was just a person. It was through your eyes," God looked at all of the people at the funeral "through their eyes that she was able to become who she was. All you have to do is keep believing that, and she'll still be able to help." God waved his hand over Adam's heart and walked away. Adam watched him keep walking, hoping to memorize the path, so that one day, he could join his Jane again.