A/N ~ First off, I must apologize! That must be the longest increment of time I've gone between updates on a story I hadn't abandoned...but I haven't! I was swamped with school stuff, and I wrote in another conflict, because ya know, Joan being pregnant isn't quite enough conflict. =) Also, I'm sort of putting off the parental confrontation because I'm not sure how I want the news to come out yet...if I want a structured meeting, or a comedic "oops"...any suggestions would be appreciated! Again, sorry for the wait, please review!! =)

Adam and Joan spectated for the rest of the trip, blaming their sluggishness on Joan's "illness". On the car ride home, Joan asked Luke if she could sit in back with Grace, so the two could talk. Luke obliged, although Adam was slightly put-off, mistakenly assuming the Joan simply didn't want to sit next to him.

"Sorry that I wasn't much fun today," Joan said to Grace, who was drawing some sort of tattoo on her knee with an ink pen.

"Don't worry about it, Geek Boy was plenty entertaining," Grace replied in her usual monotone.

Upon hearing this, Luke beamed in the passenger seat.

"So, Grace, you know, I'm feeling a lot better now," Joan began. "...and so I was thinking maybe you should stay over at my house tonight."

In the front of the car, Luke's hopes strung up taut like a guitar, and Adam nearly swerved off the road.

"Okay, sure," Grace said. "But don't think you're going to try painting my toenails again."

"I still say they looked cute," Joan said, shrugging.

"They did," Grace retorted. "That was the problem."

Joan laughed for what seemed like the first time in ages, and at this, a hint of a smile appeared on Adam's lips, and he exhaled, something he hadn't done since the last time Jane had smiled.

Adam dropped Luke, Grace, and Joan off at the Girardi residence, which was empty. Kevin had taken Rebecca to some play, and Will and Helen wouldn't be home until tomorrow evening. After Luke and Grace had traipsed inside, Adam held Joan's hands as the two stood in the same place they had danced six months ago.

"Are you gonna tell Grace?" Adam asked.

Joan bit her lip, and shrugged.

"If it comes up?" she said.

Adam nodded slowly.

"Yeah. She'd be cool about it, for sure," he said.

"Don't tell your dad tonight, if you can help it," Joan requested.

"I told him last night, yo," Adam replied.

"Wwwhat?!" Joan cried.

"Jane, I was joking, chill," Adam assured her. "I know you wanna wait until you tell your mom and the Sheriff."

"It's funny," Joan mused. "You don't sound at all concerned when you say, 'the Sheriff', even though he'll probably come after you with his gun."

"Well, in that case, I better go home and build a bulletproof shield," Adam said, moving closer and kissing her.

"I love you, Adam," Joan whispered.

"I love you."

Adam held her hand until he got too far away and her fingers slipped from his, and then got into his car and drove away.

Joan went inside to the kitchen, and was met by the heinous image of her brother and her best friend making out.

"Ew!" she squealed, shielding her eyes as she approached the fridge. "Guys, please. We talked about this!"

"Sorry," Grace said, pulling away and wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

Luke pulled off his glasses and rubbed them on his polo shirt.

"C'mon, Grace, let's go to my room," Joan suggested, drawing two sodas from the fridge. "And promise me this time you'll stay there!"

Luke and Grace exchanged glances like scolded children. Grace then rolled her eyes and drew an 'X' over her heart with a finger.

"Let's go," Joan said, starting up the staircase.

Luke leaned over to kiss Grace on the cheek, and after a moment of begrudging hesitation, she leaned her head over slightly and let him kiss her.

"Night," he called after the two as they slammed Joan's door.

They settled in Joan's room, Grace on her stomach on the floor, resting her chin on a small mint green pillow, and Joan seated with her back leaning against her bed.

"So what was up with you and Rove today?" Grace asked. "You were a million miles away, and he was acting like...a normal person. And that means something is definitely up."

Joan sighed, and yanked her hair in two tails over her shoulders. She gripped her hair for a moment, and looked out the window into the night sky. Appropriately, it was starless. God was probably making it so there were no stars for Joan to wish on, so that she couldn't wish away this baby.

"Grace...if I tell you something, you have to make me three promises," Joan said finally.

"Okay..." Grace said, not understanding. "What?"

"First," Joan said, tucking her legs up beside her. "You have to promise you won't freak out. Secondly, you have to swear you won't tell a soul, especially not Luke. And third, you have to agree to be my baby's godmother."

Grace spewed a stream of the Sprite she'd been drinking all the way across the room, spattering it on the back of Joan's door. She then proceeded to choke violently, sputtering and gasping for breath. At last, she stopped.

"Are you okay?" Joan asked quietly.

Grace nodded, and took another sip of Sprite, trying to calm the cough, but it only caused her to have another outburst.

When Grace was finally done choking, she had to swallow the information Joan had fed her.

"No kidding?" she asked in a sincere tone. "You and Rove...?"

Joan nodded, her lower lip begin to quiver.

Grace shifted uncomfortably. She didn't how to take this news, and she certainly didn't know how to make Joan feel better. She sucked at stuff like this.

"So...what are you going to do?" Grace asked stoically, tracing patterns in the carpet.

"I don't know," Joan whimpered, as she dissolved in tears. She pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her arms.

Grace couldn't stand to see Joan this way -- it was like seeing a stray kitten out in the rain and even though you think it's kind of pathetic, you can't help but want to shelter it and keep it safe.

Grace got up and went over to Joan, and hugged her for the first time since they'd been friends. Joan relaxed in Grace's comforting embrace, deciding that this is what it must feel like when a sister hugs you. Somewhere between her mom's hug and Kevin's hug.

"So how's Rove taking it?"

Joan tipped her head to the side in thought.

"You know, he's actually not taking that bad. Not bad at all. I swear he'd be excited if I wasn't so terrified," Joan replied.

"Well, look on the bright side. There's worse people to have kids with. I mean, if you're going to be a teen mom, Rove is about as good a teen dad as you're gonna get, right?" Grace offered.

"It's not that," Joan said. "My parents..."

"Are coming home tomorrow," Grace finished. "Yikes."

"Yeah."

Joan sighed, and ran her hands through her hair. It was strange...since she'd told Grace, she almost felt a little better.

"Have you thought about how you're going to tell them" Grace asked.

"Actually, I've sort of been skipping that part and going right to the scene where they wig out," Joan replied.

Grace nodded, pursing her lips. What now?

"Do you think Carl will freak out, Grace? I mean, you must know him better than I do...you've known him, like, forever," said Joan.

"He's not usually too hard on Adam," Grace said. "I guess it's because he feels like what Adam's mom did is sort of his fault, and he's always trying to make it up to him."

"So Adam probably won't get half the fallout that I will," Joan concluded.

Grace tucked her legs up so that she was sitting Indian style.

"But see, that's the thing," she mused. "Rove will make it his fallout, too. Everything that hurts you, he takes it onto himself, like he thinks he can make you not feel it if he does instead."

Grace's eyes had gone glassy again, as if she were in deep thought. Her mouth had curved into an unfamiliar frown...not that Grace never frowned, in fact, her expression of choice was a scowl. But this...this was different. Joan had never seen her make this face before.

Suddenly, Grace stood up, her eyes abruptly filling with tears.

"I've gotta go," she stammered, zipping her coat, and fleeing the room.

Joan was left on her floor, dumbfounded. She stood up and went to her window, and saw Grace huffily traipsing down the street. As Joan watched her friend leave, she wondered what she'd done to upset Grace. She felt her own eyes fill with tears. Great, she thought. All I need is for Grace to hate me now.

She flopped onto her bed, and closed her eyes. She longed for Adam...Grace was right about him. He always tried to feel Joan's pain for her...that was how much he loved her. It was overwhelming at times, and Joan wondered if Adam deserved better. The thought brought on more tears, and she realized that she was experiencing déjà vu...she'd been in this exact spot last night, doing this exact thing.

She waited for the pebbles to start hitting her window. But they did not. Joan rolled off her bed, and grabbed a light denim jacket from a hook on her wall. If God wouldn't come to her when she needed some answers, she'd just go find Him.

A/N ~ Was that at all worth the wait? Think you know what's up with Grace? Want to know for sure?! Please review, I promise I will update much much sooner this time!