Title: Ryan and Joan
Summary: Ryan meets Joan from Joan of Arcadia.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The O.C. or Joan of Arcadia.
Author's Notes: This is the last chapter of this story. It has been fun. A thank you to my loyal reviewers. A final thank you to my beta, Eileen.
Chapter 15 - "Halloween, part 3"
By the time Ryan and Joan got back to the Girardi house from the mall, it was just about time to change into their costumes for the dance. Ryan grabbed the shopping bag with his "costume" in it out of the car and followed Joan into the house.
Almost everyone was home when they got there. Joan's mother was already at the dance to get things set up because she was chaperoning. But the rest of Joan's family was at the house: Joan's father Will, Joan's younger brother Luke, who was attending the dance dressed as Einstein, and Joan's older brother Kevin, who was in a wheelchair. This was the first time that Ryan had met Kevin.
Ryan and Joan headed upstairs to change into their costumes - Joan in her bedroom, and Ryan in the upstairs bathroom. Ryan couldn't wait to see what Joan's costume was. She'd been hinting that he'd like it, but she wouldn't tell him what it was.
In the bathroom, Ryan took off his nice Newport clothes and put on his not so nice Chino clothes. He took off his expensive watch, but left on his leather wrist cuff. He had dug up his old leather choker and now he tied it around his neck. It was weird to wear it again. He had also gotten some hair gel to try and get his hair set up like he used to wear it. After fiddling with it for a while, he got it pretty close. It couldn't be exactly the same unless he got it cut, which he wasn't about to do just for this.
Ryan heard a knock on the door, then Joan's voice, "Ryan, are you ready?"
"Just another minute."
Ryan washed the hair gel off his hands and finished putting his nice clothes into the shopping bag. He opened the door to find Joan standing there in her costume. She was dressed as Joan of Arc. Really, really hot. Ryan couldn't take his eyes off her. He was't sure how he'd be able to get through this night, with her looking like that.
Joan grinned. She knew this outfit would make him speechless. "I told you you'd like it."
Ryan forced himself to look up at her face. He grinned back at her. "It's great."
Ryan stepped out of the bathroom and put his shopping bag down on the floor. He looked around. They were the only ones upstairs, as far as he could tell. He put one arm around her waist and his other hand behind her head. He pulled her in and started making out with her. He knew this might be too much for her too soon, but he couldn't help himself. Her outfit was driving him crazy, and at this point, he hadn't gotten 'satisfaction', as it were, in about 4 weeks.
After a minute, Joan started saying "mmm", since she couldn't talk because her mouth was occupied, and she started pushing on his chest. Ryan forced himself to break it off. He let her go with a "Sorry."
Joan was glad and a little scared that her costume had this effect on Ryan. "That's OK."
Ryan and Joan shared a couple of embarrassed smiles, then they gathered themselves together and went downstairs.
They met up with Luke, as Einstein, in the livingroom. He was going to ride over to the dance with them. Luke recognized the clothes that Ryan was wearing as pretty much what he had on when he first met him, at the party. He wasn't sure how they qualified as a costume.
Then Luke caught sight of Joan. "Wow. If you weren't my sister..."
Just then, Kevin and Will came in from the kitchen. Kevin said, "Luke, that's disgusting..."
Kevin looked at what Ryan was wearing and was impressed. He looked totally different from what he looked like when Kevin met him earlier, in his expensive designer clothes.
"Ryan, you look great. Just like a hood."
Ryan raised his eyebrows. He guessed he was a hood, in some ways, back in his old 'hood.
Kevin continued, joking, "Hey, maybe next year my Dad can get you an orange jumpsuit to wear."
Will and Ryan said, simultaneously, "Blue."
Will and Ryan looked at each other for a moment, then Ryan looked down. Joan knew what just happened. Ryan mentioned to her earlier that juvie had blue jumpsuits. He didn't talk about juvie much. Just when they were at the mall looking at some clothes, Ryan mentioned that even the blue jumpsuits in juvie looked better than that.
Joan could see that Ryan felt uncomfortable, since he just kind of gave away that he'd been in juvie. She and her father already knew, of course, but her brothers didn't. Joan looked at Ryan and felt uncomfortable on his behalf.
Kevin and Luke didn't know what just happened and looked back and forth between their father, Ryan, and Joan, all of whom apparently knew something that they didn't.
Will spoke up, to try and clear up the confusion. "The jumpsuits in juvie are blue."
Of course, that only cleared up part of the confusion. Now Kevin and Luke were wondering how Ryan knew that juvie had blue jumpsuits. He couldn't have been in juvie, could he?
After another moment of awkwardness. Joan took Ryan's hand. He looked up at her. She told him, "Let's head over to the dance."
He gave her a grateful smile. The two of them headed out the front door and out to the Range Rover. Luke trailed after them, hoping that someday he'd get an explanation of what just happened, but not really expecting to.
When Ryan and Joan got to the dance, both of their costumes were a big hit.
Ryan and Joan left the dance when it got close to the time that Ryan had to leave Arcadia to get back to Newport in time for his midnight curfew. They took the Range Rover back to Joan's house. Luke didn't come with them. He wanted to stay a little longer. He'd get a ride home with his mother.
Once they were on the road, Ryan said to Joan, "Well, that was fun. You know, for a school event. Thanks for inviting me."
Joan replied, distractedly, "Yeah. I had fun, too."
Ryan had noticed that Joan had been quiet and distracted on and off ever since they left the mall. "Joan, is everything all right?"
"Fine. Why?"
"You just seem a little distracted, that's all."
"I've been doing some thinking." Joan paused. "Ryan, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, of course."
"That party, where we met -- was it a good idea for you to be there? I mean, with your probation and all?"
Ryan gave her a little wry smile. "Not really."
"You're not going back to those parties any more, right? With your guardians catching you and everything?"
Ryan shook his head. "No. Not any more."
"Good. I just... I don't think it is a good idea -- for you -- to be in places like that."
Ryan sighed. "Yeah."
Joan looked out the window. She had continued to think about what He had said when she saw Him at the mall. Now she thought she had His plan figured out. Let's see --
Ryan had been going to parties. He told her he had been lying to his guardians about where he was going. At the party where they met, Joan saw him looking for slutty girls. He was looking to score.
At these parties that Ryan had been going to, there was drinking and probably drugs. Sometimes the police raided these things and arrested people. With his probation, Ryan could have landed in jail.
Ryan also tended to get into fights, like he could have when he was helping Luke against those bullies. With a fight, Ryan could have landed in the hospital, or jail, or worse.
Her parents would say that he was engaging in "risky behavior" by going to these parties.
Enter Joan. Enter Him. He told her to take Ryan home and introduce him to her parents.
Joan introduced Ryan to her father. Her father talked to Ryan's guardian. Ryan was busted and got grounded. Ryan no longer went to these parties. No more "risky behavior".
Joan looked over at Ryan and smiled to herself.
Mission accomplished.
The End.