Title:The Gift.
Authors Note: First chapter of the joint fanfic between Mackenzie925 and JAAD Shipper.
We started this fanfic before JoA episode 22-The Gift.
Adam works at a hotel and Joan works at the bookstore.
This one is kind of based on The Gift.
Dedication To: Joan and Adam may they always have "Good Ripples."
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Joan of Arcadia.
Special Thanks go to: Mackenzie925 for agreeing to give this a shot with me.
Joan Girardi was laying in a hammock in her back yard reading a book, she had just closed the book when Dog Walker God appeared.
"Hey Joan, I have an assignment for you."
"No school today due to a teachers meeting, but God still has something for me to do."
"You already know that I don't take days off," God says with a laugh.
"What do I have to do this time?" Joan ask God.
"I want you to give Adam a gift," God says to Joan as the dogs entangled themselves around his legs.
"Why?" Joan ask God in surprise.
"Can't you ever just do what I ask without questioning me," God responds.
"Girls don't usually give their boyfriend a gift unless it is their birthday or Christmas."
"Joan, I really want you to do this for me."
God turns to walk away.
"What do you want me to give him?" Joan ask God.
"You decide, but it needs to come from your heart."
"Your so helpful," Joan says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes.
Dog Walker God waved as he left with his entourage of dogs,leaving Joan alone in her backyard.
She decided that she better start her search, because she didn't want God to be angry with her. She had done every assignment that God had asked her to do thus far, and she has no intention of disobeying God now.
She gets in her car, drives to the mall, and decides to start her search there.
She walks into a bookstore and heads for a sign marked Art Section. She picks up a book on Picasso.
"This isn't Adam," she says to herself as she thumbs through it, then puts the book back on the shelf. She thumbs through several other art books, then she leaves the store disappointed.
The next store she walks into is a clothing store.
She walks to the men's section of the store and looks at shirts, but nothing there reminds her of Adam either.
I wouldn't bury a dead relative in any of those shirts. Heck, I wouldn't even bury a dog that I didn't like in any of those shirts. she thinks to herself as she leaves the store.
She decides to call the one person that knows Adam better than anyone.
Joan whips out her cell phone and calls Grace.
Grace pulls her arms and her lips from her boyfriend to answer the phone.
"Polk here, talk to me."
"Hey Grace, are you busy?"
"Not at the moment, Girardi."
"I need to talk to you about something." "Can I come over?"
"Luke sighs as he hears Grace's response. "Sure."
"I'll see you in a few minutes," Joan says.
"I'll see you then, bye.
"Bye."
"Grace hangs up the phone and walks back to the couch, then sits down beside Luke.
Now, where were we?" Grace ask as she snuggled up to Luke.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but--" Grace's lips cut Luke's sentence dead in the water.
Luke and Grace pull apart.
"Now, what were you going to say?" Grace asked Luke.
"I forgot," Luke says with a laugh. "I better be going." Regret was apparent in his voice.
"I'll see you at 7:00 tonight." Luke then grabs his jacket and straightens out his shirt.
"I'll see you then."
"Bye," Luke says as he walks out the door.
Grace catches her breath, and then straightens her clothes as well.
Five minutes later, a nock comes on the front door.
"Hey Girardi, come on in."
Joan walks inside and Grace sits down on the couch and Joan sits in a chair.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Grace ask Joan.
"I want to give Adam a gift, but I have no idea about what to give him." "I was hoping that you could help me."
Joan spies a picture sitting on the coffee table. The picture is of a young Grace and Adam wearing shorts, t-shirts, life jackets, holding paddles and there is a river in the background.
She picks up the picture, then she comments on how cute Adam and Grace are in the picture.
"Yeah, that's the summer that my family and Adam's went on vacation together, we went White Water Rafting in Colorado."
"His mom always loved the water and Adam loves the water too."
"I remember one time when we all went fishing together, the wind started to blow and form ripples on the water and Adam said something about "Good Ripples". "His mom told him that she hoped that he always had "Good Ripples" and that the only way to do that was to have a relationship with God."
"Grace you have been very helpful, because I know what I will give Adam now."
"What?" Grace asked
"I would rather keep that a secret," Joan says.
"Grace, could you help me with something?"
"Sure Girardi, what do you need?"
"Are you up for a little painting?" Joan asked as they walk out of the door.
"I'll need to go to the hardware store first," Joan says as she gets in her car.
Grace climbs in on the passenger side.
About 30 minutes later, Joan pulls into the parking lot of the hardware store.
"What are we here for?" Grace ask Joan.
"I need one gallon of water proof yellow paint and one gallon of primer,Joan says as she grabs a bucket of yellow paint made specifically for painting wooden boats with.
She walks down another isle and grabs a can of primer.
"Don't you need some brushes, Girardi?" Grace ask Joan as they walk along.
"Yeah, I need those too," Joan says as they walk down another isle and she grabs a couple of paint brushes.
"Well, that's all I need," Joan says.
She pays for the stuff and drives home.
Joan and Grace arrive at Joan's house and head for the garage.
She walks over to a corner of the garage and pulls a blue tarp off revealing a boat.
"Is this what you want me to help you paint?" Grace asked Joan in surprise.
"It sure is," Joan says to Grace.
"Where did it come from?" Grace asked.
"I started to build it myself, but my father and Kevin finished it for me," Joan says to a shocked Grace.
Joan grabs the can of primer and starts to read on the back of it.
"We better put a coat of this stuff on first," Joan says as she looks at the boat.
"That's fine with me, Girardi."
"There's only one problem," Joan says with disappointment edging her voice.
"What's that?" Grace asked Joan.
"It will take twenty four hours for this stuff to dry.
"That's not a big problem, Girardi, Grace says.
"Why isn't it?" Joan asked Grace.
"Because I'll help you put the primer on today and I'll help you paint it tomorrow, Grace says to a somewhat stunned Joan.
Joan prizes the lid off the bucket of primer using the claw end of a hammer.
Joan and Grace put primer on the outside of the boat first and then they do the same to the inside.
Grace ponders why they are going to paint the boat and why Joan built it in the first place.
After they had finished putting the primer on the boat, Joan asked Grace to keep it a secret between the two of them.
Joan doesn't want anyone to know that they are going to paint the boat.
She heads for the water faucet on the outside of the house and rinses the primer out of the brushes.
She puts the brushes in the garage and then Grace and Joan head for the house to wash up and get something to drink.
The next day,Grace keeps her word and helps Joan put the first coat of paint on the boat.
Grace once again ponders why Joan would paint the boat.
"Why would Joan paint the boat yellow?" Grace asked herself.
It took Friday, Saturday and then on Sunday night at 6:00, Joan and Grace both breathed a sigh of relief as they put the final coat of paint on the boat.
Joan set her alarm clock that night before she went to bed and was awakened by the sound of it the next day. She showers dresses and gets to school right on time.