AN: I know that Adam is very OOC but I couldn't figure out any other way to handle the situation. Oh well. Still looking for someone to beta for me. If you're interested, write it a review or send me an e-mail. HAHA!!! BTW, I also just realized that I can have Italics if I preview/quick edit the chapter. But, I'm also too lazy to fix the other chapters so it's only good from here on out.

Chapter 3: Ready

The walk to Adam's house was silent; each was consumed with their own thoughts and emotions. Adam was a step in front of Joan and she couldn't help but notice the slight hunch in his shoulders and the shuffling of his weary feet. It had been an emotionally exhausting day for both of them.

"Adam, I can go home if you want me to." Joan mumbled, hoping that he would say no.

"Naw, Jane." Adam replied slowly. "I don't really want to be alone right now." He turned to look at her and their eyes locked. That brief moment of connection was all Joan needed. She knew how he felt; she didn't want to be alone either.

They continued on, Adam's slow pace making up for Joan's ineptitude on crutches. Silence prevailed until they reached Adam's house and were safely inside.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy. Give me a minute to straighten up a little." Adam apologized while depositing his and Joan's backpacks and jackets in the tiny coat closet next to the front door. Following as Joan moved into the living room, Adam began gathering up all the magazines and junk that he and his father had left scattered about the room. His hands full of miscellaneous clutter, Adam made for the stairway. "Be right back," he commented offhandedly as he slowly trudged up the narrow stairway.

By this time Joan had collapsed onto the small couch in the living room, grateful for the sanctuary that this home provided for her, even though it was only temporary. Eventually, she would have to face her Mom and Dad and tell them what had happened during her seemingly endless day. But that would come later. She put her head back against the slightly worn fabric and closed her eyes, relishing her moment of relaxation.

A few minutes later, Adam reappeared in the stairway. Making his way towards the couch, Adam couldn't help but smile. In the short time that he had been gone, Joan had fallen fast asleep while sitting upright on his couch. Gently, making sure that he didn't wake her, Adam pushed Joan until she was lying down, her head resting on a throw pillow. Grabbing a blanket from off the back of the couch, Adam tenderly covered Joan up. For a moment, he just stood there, transfixed by her innocent and peaceful face. The serenity of the scene had a calming effect on him as he watched the steady rhythm of her breathing.

After a moment more of admiring her, Adam quietly left the house and entered his own sanctuary. He began gathering wire and scrap metal together, his need to release some of his pent up emotions drove any thoughts of sleep out of his mind. Hours passed but all Adam could think about was his art, his craft, his freedom. Working through his exhaustion, Adam managed to finish one sculpture and was in the midst of finishing a second when a small knock on the door caught his attention.

"Hey," came Joan's small voice from the doorway. Still wrapped in the blanket that Adam had used to cover her up, Joan carefully limped towards his workbench and sat down on a large wooden crate. "It's freezing in here. Aren't your fingers numb?"

Moving to sit next to her, Adam rubbed his hands together. They felt like ice and he realized that in his haste to create the sculptures he had forgotten to turn on the space heater, leaving only intermittent bouts of heat from the use of his blowtorch to warm the small shed.

"I didn't really notice until you said something." Adam replied sheepishly. Then to his surprise, Joan quickly scooted next to him and wrapped her arm and half the blanket around his shoulders.

"It's big enough for the both of us." Joan stated. Removing her arm from around his shoulders, she began staring at his newest creations. "They're beautiful," she whispered, "But they're so sad."

With her attention captivate by the small but powerful sculptures, Joan didn't notice as Adam slowly reached his hand towards hers. Trembling, Adam slowly brought her hand into his, intertwining their fingers.

"I named the first one Pain. I just couldn't get the image of Iris out of my head and I can't stop thinking about all of the pain I've put her through. She didn't deserve it." Adam paused and looked down at the floor for a moment before looking over at Joan. "It shouldn't have happened because I knew what I wanted the whole time. I was just too stupid to wait for it."

Slowly, Joan turned and faced him, her eyes searching his, attempting to determine if he meant what she thought he meant.

"The second one is named Forgiveness." Adam continued. "I made that one for you. I want you to know how sorry I am that I gave you so much pain. I should have been patient and waited. I know that now."

Without realizing it, Joan had begun to cry. The combination of the sculpture and Adam's apology had made Joan feel like the most special person in the world. Tears of joy streamed down her face as Adam finished talking.

"I know you weren't ready before and that you might not be now but I'm willing to wait Jane. I don't to be with anyone but you." Bringing his free hand up to her face, he slowly wiped away her tears and gently caressed her cheek. His eyes searched hers, desperate to know her answer but unwilling to force her if she still felt that the time wasn't right.

"Adam...I don't know...what to say." Joan stammered. Her head was spinning with the realization that Adam felt the same way that she did. But she still didn't know if she was ready to jump, or if he was truly ready to catch her.

Lowering his hand from her face and looking back at the small sculptures, Adam quickly began speaking again. "It's ok if you don't answer now Jane. Like I said, I'm willing to wait this time."

His expression was so sincere that Joan could only smile and nod in response. He had given her the space she needed to make sure the time was right. With one simple sentence he had lifted the pressure off of her shoulders. In that instant, Joan knew beyond all her fears and doubts that she wanted to be Adam Rove's girlfriend. With what felt like thousands of butterflies swarming around in her stomach, Joan looked down at their clasped hands, catching Adam's attention as he turned back to her.

"Adam, I'm ready." Adam's jaw hit the floor, and his eyes glazed over. He wasn't sure if he had actually heard that last remark or not. His mind raced as all the implications of those three words sunk in. He watched, seemingly in slow motion, as Joan lowly leaned towards him. Grinning from ear to ear, Adam leaned towards Joan and their lips met in a tender, and somewhat hesitant, kiss. The world around them melted away as they shared their first kiss as an official couple.

Adam closed his eyes, concentrating solely on the sensations coursing through his body. Never when he had kissed Iris had he felt so alive. His mind was flying higher than a kite and he felt the only thing keeping him from going in a hundred different directions at once was his skin.

Unfortunately, the kiss had to end sometime and the two slowly separated from each other. Each could still feel the lingering presence of the others lips on their own. Languidly opening his eyes, Adam watched as a contented smile played on Joan's face. She still had her eyes closed and Adam could tell that she had relished the kiss as much as he had.

With a very uncharacteristic giddy chuckle, Adam began to play with his hands, not quite sure what to do with them. The small sound was enough to make Joan come back down to earth and she leisurely opened her eyes. 'Wow' was still the only coherent thought that passed through her brain.

"I...uh...should probably be getting home." Joan commented, unsure of what else to do or say in the situation. Things were happening so fast and she just needed to be given some time to digest it all before any other shocking developments occurred.

"Yeah...I guess you're right." Adam reluctantly admitted before standing up and walking towards the door of the shed. "Stay here. I'll go get your stuff." Without further ado, he left he tiny shed and made his way into the empty house. Somewhere off in the distance of the house a clock chimed the hour.

Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...

Adam groaned slightly, knowing that his Dad would be home in less than twenty minutes. He didn't want to have a conversation with his Dad tonight. He was too worn out from everything that had happened that day to spend an hour or more explaining to his Dad how his day had been. Grabbing Joan's crutches, coat, and backpack, he quickly made his way back to the shed. With any luck he could get Joan home and make it back and be in bed before his Dad got home.

Soon the two were once again walking together down empty streets. This time, however, they were walking next to each other and the silence that prevailed was not one of discomfort but one of understanding. Joan and Adam both knew that they couldn't handle anymore abnormal circumstances that day.

When the Girardi porch came into view, the silence deepened into one fraught with tension. They stopped in front of the driveway and Adam handed Joan the book bag that again he had refused to let her carry. Standing there, staring at one another, neither one knew what to do. They didn't want to do anything that would upset the other. Finally, knowing that she would have to do something before her parents noticed them standing there looking like idiots, Joan mustered up all the courage she had, gave Adam a quick peck on the cheek and rushed into the house. Over her shoulder she yelled, "Thanks for walking me home Adam! Good night!"

A little dazed and confused, Adam stood there for a second and watched as Joan reached her front door and disappeared into the house.

"Good night, Jane." He whispered as he turned and began jogging back towards his own house. He still had a chance to make it home before his Dad, if he was lucky that was.

Inside the Girardi household, Joan slowly limped her way into the kitchen after having disposed of her coat and crutches in the living room. The smell of homemade chili wafted through the house and Joan's mouth began to water as she approached the source of the delectable smell. Helen was standing next to the giant kettle, stirring it absentmindedly. Before her Mom had a chance to ground her, Joan quickly began speaking.

"Mom, I'm sorry I'm home so late but today really sucked. I thought it would never end." She paused attempting to gauge her mother's reaction to her whiny explanation, hoping that she would buy into it.

"Where were you, Joan Girardi?" Helen questioned with a piercing glare. "And why did you skip school today?"

Heaving a sigh Joan started in on exactly how her day had been. "I'm sorry about skipping today but I had to do something really important. Iris was going to kill herself today by jumping off the school building and if it hadn't been for Adam and I she really might have jumped. I went with Adam afterwards because he said he didn't want to be alone. I mean his ex- girlfriend almost committed suicide today. He needed someone to be there for him. And while I was there I kind of fell asleep on his sofa. When I woke up, I came home." Somehow, without stopping for breath, Joan had managed to spit out exactly what had happened to her that day.

Helen's face went from one of motherly disapproval to one of shock. Her jaw was hanging loosely on its hinges and she couldn't even begin to respond to Joan's out pouring of information. Slowly, Helen closed her mouth and nodded to Joan.

"Well, I guess those were good reasons to skip class and to stay out late." Helen haltingly stated. Unsure if she should give her a small punishment for penance or hug her and reward her for being so caring and giving, Helen simply smiled. "You should eat quickly and then go to bed. There's some left over soup in the fridge that you can heat up. Tomorrow, you and I will go to the office and talk to Mr. Price about why you skipped. Even he has to understand that it was for a good cause this time."

With an unbelieving smile and nod of her head Joan said "Yeah that sounds like a good idea Mom." Her mind was still in a state of shock. She had never expected her mother to forgive her this easily. Still reeling with the effects of her Mom's words, Joan grabbed the soup from the fridge and threw it in the microwave. After two minutes of awkward silence the microwave beeped and Joan grabbed her dinner and walked into the dining room. Before she had sat down though, she stopped and looked at Helen.

"Thanks, Mom, for being so cool about this." Joan sat down at the set table and quickly ate her dinner. Immediately after she finished her soup, Joan headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas. Laying her head on her pillow, she lulled herself to sleep with thoughts that tomorrow would be fresh and she had nothing to worry about... yet.