TITLE: A Wish Your Heart Makes

RATING: PG

SPOILERS: Do the Math, probably.

PAIRING: What else? J/A !!!!

CHEESINESS: I would say maybe a 4 or 5. I try to stay away from it, but this time it was built in.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Joan of Arcadia or the characters. Barbara Hall has that wonderful honor.

Author's Note: Another story I had to write.

Chapter Title: Reality

Joan Girardi's eyes suddenly awoke. In that second, she was unsure of where she was. The only sense that was working correctly was her hearing, and that was overloaded with her mother shouting her name. As her eyes focused, she immediately realized she was in her own room. In fact, she had trouble remembering the previous day. She remembered she had studied last night until 3 in the morning, went to school to take her very difficult Chemistry test, and decided to come home to take a nap after school. Or maybe she was about to get married? Joan sighed with disgust. No, she had taken the chemistry test. That was her reality. No wedding for her as her dream had forecasted. Shaking her head, she stumbled out from underneath her favorite blanket and opened her door, heading towards the top of the stairs.

"What, Mom?" she shouted back.

Her mother suddenly appeared at the bottom. "Adam's here."

Joan sighed, "You could've just sent him upstairs."

"To your room while you were in bed? Don't forget, I'm your mother."

Joan rolled her eyes, and quickly ran to the bathroom to fix herself up a little better. Moments later, she ran down the stairs and saw Adam and her Dad sitting on the sofa, talking. "It took me forever to get her asleep when she was a baby. She was always so cranky," Will said to Adam, who was listening intently, or so it seemed.

Running over to them, Joan looked to her father, whispering, "Dad!" Adam looked up at her, seeing her angry face. He smiled more, only seeing how cute she was when she was angry.

"What?" her father replied, shrugging, but finding it hard not to laugh.

Joan reached down, grabbed Adam's hand, and pulled him up. "I think we can hold back on the embarrassing Joan stories just for one night. Just one." She looked to Adam. "Come on, we can go upstairs."

Her mother replied from the kitchen, "Twenty minutes until dinner is ready. Humor me by having the door open at least a little, ok?"

Joan nodded as her and Adam walked up the stairs to her room. They both sat down on her bed, Adam looking over her with a small smile. Joan sighed. "I'm sorry about my parents. They're still getting used to the whole idea of their little girl having a boyfriend, having a life ..." but before she could finish, she found herself kissing Adam intently.

Adam replied a moment later, "Jane. It's ok. My dad's been a lot more inquisitive since we've been together."

Joan smiled, "I'll go turn the radio on." She stood up and walked over to the radio. Turning it on, she flipped through a couple of channels, leaving it for a few seconds to allow Adam chance to say, "stop", but he didn't.

After a few more seconds, he suddenly replied, "Keep it here. I like this song."

As Joan stopped a second to listen, her heart became all mushy. She smirked a bit, and then felt herself crying a bit, and she didn't even know why. It had been years since she heard this song, only a child.

Adam walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she hugged him. When they released, she placed her forehead against his. Adam just didn't understand this and finally asked, "What is it?"

Joan just smiled. "I love you."

Adam smiled back. "Unchallenged."

"A dream is a wish your heart makes ...."

"When you're fast asleep ..."