Summary: Another day in the life of a teenager. Joan tries to juggle a "suggestion" from God, her friends, and attempts at accepting Iris in Adam's life.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Joan of Arcadia or any songs that appear in this fic. I wouldn't mind having Christopher Marquette, though. .

Ratings: PG – just in case of swearing

AN: It's a bit short, but I couldn't wait any longer to get these two together. Hope you like it. Thanks for all the reviews… Keep them coming.

Joan stopped the last note abruptly when she heard the last person she expected to see. She turned her head to look at him standing there watching her, making her a bit self-conscious. She reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear trying to figure out what to say. Did he know and feel the same way she had when she heard this song on the radio a few days ago, which gave her the idea for her talent showing. Did he suddenly see their situation and realize the same thing that she did – they both had the same feelings about each other, and did Iris know about them? Joan was sure she did, but she didn't know how this was going to resolve itself.

"Uh, hey, Adam… I thought you left."

"I had some stuff to do. And some thinking to do." Adam looked at the girl that stood before him and felt the feelings he had since he first saw her walk into his AP Chem that day so long ago – a sense of wonder, amazement, joy, and life. She had walked in, and he knew his life would never be the same again, and it wasn't. But until recently, it didn't look like it changed for the better. Maybe they could change that, together. He swallowed the lump in his throat, working up the nerve to ask her once more if she was willing to take another shot at 'them.'

"Oh… Yeah, you seemed really out of it today." Joan gave a small laugh, absently twisting her scarf around her finger, her eyes still watching him. She wondered if he was feeling as nervous as she was. She was fighting her conscience with a decision – she wanted him to leave Iris for her, but she felt bad. She knew she had no right to ask that of him, and she didn't know how she would feel about being the cause of the break up, but her heart couldn't take much more of the emotional turmoil the two was putting her through. She knew she made the right decision back when he first asked it, even though it still hurt her to think about it. She had a lot of learning to do – caring for others, finding out about herself, and realizing her true feelings where he was concerned.

"Unchallenged…. Jane, can I – uh talk to you a moment? Or do you have to go somewhere?" He ran his finger along the fray in the flap of his messenger bag, hoping that she would stay and hear him out. That she would be as excited as he knew he would be with what he had to say – especially if she told him that she wanted the same thing that he did.

"Sure. I don't have to be home until later tonight. I told my mom that I had some pageant stuff to do so not to count on me for dinner. I was just getting ready to go to get something to eat after I practiced a bit, then I was going to just do more practicing-"

"Jane, you're rambling, yo."

Joan gave another laugh, blushing at his comment. She really hated her nervous habits, but she couldn't do anything about them. She took a steadying breathe, before walking over to the CD player and taking out her Michelle Branch CD, waiting for him to begin talking. She glanced over at him out of the corner of her eyes, letting him know he had her full attention.

"Listen, Jane. I talked to Iris after that day… To apologize for missing our date, and to ask her why she did it. We uh, we talked and she told me a lot of things I didn't see. Things I didn't want to see, for many reasons. What it comes down to is that it would either be you or her. I couldn't be your friend and her boyfriend, because she felt that I was putting her last. I, I realized that I was, so I've been thinking long and hard about this whole situation-"

"Adam, it's okay. I mean, I completely understand. She feels threatened by our… I don't know what you'd call it, friendship. She sees me as competition, and maybe she's right. It's my fault that we're in the position that we're in. If I had said yes to you that night, we wouldn't be in this mess. But I needed that time to find out a few things about me, and those around me. It made me admit to my true feelings, but I realized that it's too late for that now. I don't like it, but I'm willing to step aside, so you can be with Iris without any friction."

"Wait, Jane…" Adam reached out and grabbed ahold of Joan's arm, stopping her self-sacrificing speech. He waited for her to look up at him fully, rather than at her reflection on the back of the CD. He gave her a small, reassuring smile before continuing with what he was going to say before she interrupted. "I made my decision earlier, Jane. I told Iris that although I care for her, I could never get rid of my Jane. Without you, I, I wouldn't be who I am. You made me come alive the night you came to my shed and forced me to get up the nerve to hear what my mom had to say. Before that, I was just hiding – from life and from being hurt again. I realized that I was doing that with Iris. Instead of hounding you to get you to change your mind, or sitting back and letting you realize how you feel, I ran from the hurt I felt. Iris made me safe, but she didn't make me feel like you did. You make me want to live, to do art, to laugh, and to love. I… I love you, Jane."

Joan listened to all of this, her eyes filling up with tears. She had waited so long for these words, and they were finally hear… And they were more than she imagined. Like Adam's art, his words made her cry at the sheer beauty of it. He loved her! Adam Rove loved her, and she loved him back. Without saying a word, or telling him her own feelings, she gave him a wobbly smile before closing the gap between them to wrap her arms around his neck and hugging him close, letting the tears have free reign. Adam stood a moment in shock before wrapping his own arms around her slim waist, hoping they were happy tears.

"Oh, Adam… That was beautiful. The most words I've heard you say in all the time I've known you." She gave a shaky laugh, laying her chin on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, her voice lowering to a whisper, her warm breathe tickling the side of his neck. "I love you, too… So much."

Her voice was almost too low for him to hear, but he did and he felt a silly grin stretch across his face as he tightened his arms around her. He never wanted to be in any other place as this.

"Ahem! Don't you two have other places to be? The reluctance you show by being late periodically would make anyone assume that you didn't want to be in school, yet here you both are long 'after' the school has been closed. If you are done with this nice display of romance, I suggest you gather your things and vacate the premises… And make sure you're both on time tomorrow, or it'll be detention until you're 35." With those stern words, Price gave them a glare before spinning on his heels and walking down the hall towards the main door, where he stopped and held the door open looking at the sheepish couple quickly gathering their things with a pointed look at them. They murmured their excuses before they left, running down the steps and over to the parking lot towards Joan's vehicle, both laughing and out of breathe by the time they got there.

"Now that we were rudely interrupted… what do you want to do? Go anywhere specific?"

"I thought you had to practice?"

Joan grimaced as she thought about walking around the room with books on her head before she had to strap the torture devices on her feet and give those a try. She blinked as she thought about the high heels she still had yet to buy. She looked over at Adam where he waited patiently for her to reply, wondering if he'd be up for a shopping trip.

"Actually, I need to stop off at the mall. Do you want to come along? Or do you have to head home?"

"Nope. I'm all yours for the evening."

"Ooooh, the possibilities." The two shared a grin, before climbing into the vehicle and driving off towards Arcadia Mall. They held hands throughout the drive, reveling in the new feeling of begin together officially. It was a heady experience… and they both loved every moment.