Experiments

Summary: AU fic. What if Grace and Joan had shared that kiss when all the feathers flew?

Category: Slash

Rating PG-13

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't sue.

Spoilers: The Uncertainty Principle

Sap factor: Throught the roof

"Thanks for leaving a message with my father, the rabbi... saying you want to spend the night with me building a gun." Grace told Luke.

"Hey, no problem," he answered.

As they worked on their project the song Happiness Is a Warm Gun played throughout her head. However, this gun was cold. And complicated. But she longed to have her finger on Joan's trigger. Reminders of her were everywherearound her, from the carcass of her unfinished boat to a pile of ceramic ash trays with a far too feminine touch to have been made by either of her brothers. Still a night with the geek was worth it if it meant Grace's Dad waiting up in fear of her virtue. She'd meant it when she thanked Luke. The look on the Rabbi's face had been priceless.

"Grace, do you remember when we kissed?"

God, was he on that again. It was flattering of course, nice to be noticed for pretty much the first time in her life. Well to be noticed for something other than her sarcastic replies and inability to be anywhere on time. The attention was both fun and annoying, rather like Luke himself. She was rather growing to enjoy his company if only he would shut off those raging hormones.

"Gotta go." Grace ducked out in order to avoid a scene. Though a brilliant political statement, that kiss had been a mistake. She felt bad leading the poor guy on. I mean, he was a nice guy. Friedman just pissed her off sometimes and she tended to over react. And now she was going to have to deal with Luke thinking they were an item or something. She should just tell him the truth, but then it might seemed that she cared. Caring led to weakness and she knew it must be avoided at all costs. Or at least any visible signs of it. The actuality, she cared too much.

For once Grace had a real excuse for tardiness. She was fucking tired. The half hour of sleep she managed to catch succeeded in making her feel worse, not better. Oh yes, and making her late.

Grace eyed all the lame displays around her. Crap. All crap. Monuments to the ability of students to brown nose. She wished their gun could obliterate them all, but the geek said it would move the engine a few inches at most. Science sucked.

Friedman and Glynis showed off their project. Boring. She made more waves as a five year old drowning her Barbie and Ken in the tub. Glynis smiled and waved at Luke while Friedman conspicuously checked out her ass. Gross. She hoped Glynis knew better than to get romantically involved with Friedman. She was a smart girl, and most sheep and other barnyard animals knew better than to get involved with Friedman. Perhaps their was hope. She wished her and geek boy would pair up. It would take the heat off of her and they were obviously too peas in a highly intelligent, overly ambitious pod. No time to think about that though. Their incredibly hot science teacher was coming over to check out their project. Well maybe science didn't completely suck. Sometimes when she would explain it in class, Grace got a little tingly. Probably the only reason she even bothered to show up. That and it was the class she shared with her two bestest buds, one of which she couldn't stop secretly longing for.

They flicked the switch. Nothing. All night in the garage for that? Granted, she didn't really care what grade she got, but she couldn't help being disappointed. She turned up the juice on the gun just incase. All of a sudden the engine shot out like a rocket. Glass smashed, dinosaurs met their second extinction and feathers flew. Luke raced over to a sopping wet Glynis. "Are you ok?" he asked helping her to her feet. New love was in bloom, but Grace hardly noticed. Or maybe she did. Joan was batting at feathers, radiant as a goddess in a snowstorm. She was smiling at the humor of the situation. She looked aver at Grace. Grace grinned.

"I think I like your project the best," Joan told her. "Very memorable.

"Thanks," Grace replied. She reached to pull a feather from Joan's hair, but Joan stopped her, taking Grace's hand in hers. Grace looked at her questioningly. She didn't know how to respond to such a simple, personal gesture.

"You sort of remind me of a chicken right now," Grace teased.

Joan's grasp on her hand remained firm. "So do you."

"You look beautiful," she admitted.

Joan's eyes fixed on hers. "So do you."

They leaned in and gently, ever so gently, the two girls kissed. Feathers and all. The rest of the world forgotten, their new world becoming their lips and each other.

************************

Adam watched them kiss with a mixture of sadness and joy. It hurt to know that Joan wouldn't be his, but Grace, she needed Joan so much more than he did. If anyone could get past that though exterior it was the girl with long brown hair, a love of stripes and scarves and a tendency to join every club in school. His two best friends were happy, and that would have to be enough for him.