Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Joan of Arcadia. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!
--------------------------------------
Author's Notes: The latest challenge required that authors look at a series of the moderator's favorite quotes and construct drabbles around them. These ten little drabbles are what I came up with. Drop me a line and let me know if you liked any, all or none of them. ;)
There's a little cursing in Growing Pains, but nothing you haven't heard/used before.
Hope you enjoy,
Everwood2003
---------------------------------------
Title: Perseverence
"You can turn off the sun, but I'm still gonna shine."--Jason Mraz, "The Remedy"
"Oh. Well, uh, can you please tell her that I came by again?"
He sees the sympathy in her eyes and knows that whatever she's about to say won't make things better, no matter how soothing her voice.
"Adam, just…give her time. Whatever's going on between you two, it'll work itself out."
He tries to offer a genuine smile, but his eyes belie his sadness and confusion. So he just nods, resisting the urge to tell her that it's difficult to remain optimistic, especially when you feel as if the sun's light has been extinguished.
Title: In Dreams
"(Faith) is not about making sense. It's about believing in something and letting that belief be real enough to change your life."
--Book, Firefly
After two weeks of silence, He finally comes to her in a dream, as she walks aimlessly through fields of green grass.
She feels His presence beside her, knows it's Him even as her gaze remains fixed on the horizon.
"You know, I was having a very nice dream about Orlando Bloom before this. Having said that, go away."
Joan does not realize that she's running until she stumbles and falls to the ground. She sits there, stunned, before noticing the outstretched hand in front of her.
"Nothing makes sense anymore, Joan. But that doesn't mean you should stop believing."
Title: Fury
"We decide what our lives are going to be. Things happen to us; it's our reactions that matter."
--Felicity
He doesn't remember much about the accident, other than the putrid smell of burning metal and the sound of wailing sirens that grew closer as his breath got more labored and his eyes grew heavy.
By the time he'd been released from the hospital he'd decided that if God didn't give a damn, he wouldn't either.
But, for all his bitter resentment, Kevin finds it less difficult to get out of bed, even looks forward to each and every new day with a sense of purpose.
Because, when all's said and done, no amount of fury will change what's happened to him.
Title: Acceptance
"Guys do find me attractive even though I don't have raven hair and the initials L.L."
--Chloe, Smallville
"Hey, you think if I stopped eating and started smoking I'd end up looking as hot as this?"
Grace sighs, torn between relief at seeing Joan break her silence after weeks of refusing to accept visits and phone calls and utter annoyance given the subject matter.
"Dude. How many times do I have to tell you that Cosmo kills brain cells? Besides, what's wrong with the way you look now?"
She groans inwardly, hoping the comment doesn't lead to further questions about her sexuality because she's tired of not having any answers.
"Uh, ah, I mean...it's all air-brushing anyway."
Title: This Situation We're In
"You have a very limited and uncreative way of looking at the situation."
--Don Juan DeMarco
In the end, her pride will not allow her to take His hand. So she picks herself up off the ground and glares at Him even though she knows it won't affect Him in the least.
"You're. Not. Real."
She hates the way He looks at her, His eyes full of warmth and sympathy, and hates that she feels so much for a figment of her imagination.
"I guess that's one way of looking at the situation. Though I am a bit disappointed that your explanation lacks creativity."
He flashes her a brief, albeit radiant, smile before turning away from her, one hand thrust inside the pocket of His curdoroy jacket, the other raised as He waves goodbye in that all-too-familiar fashion.
Title: Growing Pains
"I will have poetry in my life...and adventure...and love. Love, above all."
--Viola, Shakespeare in Love
When she was twelve, her mother told her that nice young ladies did not climb trees or spend afternoons sewer-walking with boys, even if those boys did happen to be named Adam Rove.
After that, she figured that being a lady wasn't worth shit if it meant she couldn't have adventure in her life.
When she was fourteen, her mother made sure to remind her that being locked in her room writing angst-ridden poems was not going to win her any points with the boys.
So she decided that boys could fuck off because poetry did more for her than they ever would.
Her mother's last bit of advice was given on her sixteenth birthday, something about love not being enough or something along those lines.
But now she can't remember because her mother mumbled the words just as she was walking out the door and out of her life.
That and the fury and bitterness always make her forget.
But then Grace met a boy who wasn't a boy, really, and he gave her a rock that wasn't a rock, though she'd never admit it, and nothing made sense anymore.
Title: Confusion
"Sometimes I think that you want me to touch you
How can I when you build the Great Wall around you?"
--Tori Amos, "China"
"What are you doing here? If my dad catches you, you'll be sleeping with the fishes. He's Italian, you know."
Adam closes the door behind him, takes a hesitant step forward before deciding that maybe it's best if he stays put. He leans against the door, arms crossed, and hopes she can't tell how nervous he is.
"I've never been in your room, yo."
His voice cracks a bit, which doesn't surprise him because his emotions have always been transparent where she's concerned.
She takes a seat on the edge of the bed, her back to him, and he's at a loss as to how to reach her when she refuses to let him in.
Title: Her Resolve
"The greatest thing you can ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
--Christian, Moulin Rouge
For all that she seems calm and collected, it takes all of her willpower not to break down after realizing that, even after weeks of unreturned phone calls and refusing to see him, she doesn't love him any less.
Because even though she can't help but feel disappointed that he could not give her what she needed, he is still the only person she knows who talks to angels.
She turns away from him, sits at the edge of her bed, and clutches a pillow to her chest, hoping against hope that he'll take a hint and leave.
But then he is besider her, his fingers caressing the palm of her hand before becoming intertwined with hers, and her resolve finally crumbles.
Title: Desire
"I want some more."
--Claudia, Interview with the Vampire
He doesn't realize how much he's missed her, them, until he feels her hair brushing softly against his cheek.
But it's not enough.
Even though he knows that this isn't the time or the place for it, he can't have her this close without wanting to kiss her.
So he lifts his free hand so that it's just above her cheek before reaching down to gently turn her face to him.
His lips hover on the spot just beside her mouth and he presses them softly to her skin before placing a tentative kiss on her lips. He feels her body grow tense but is relieved when she relaxes and finally responds.
And, for a moment at least, it doesn't matter that she talks to God.
Title: Unconventional
"And here I stand with this sword in my hand."
--Tori Amos, "Take to the Skies"
"Grace, guess what happened yester---hey, what's with the sword?"
She shrugs her shoulders and raises the sword in question above her, making a mental note to find friends who don't ask so many questions.
"Well, Girardi, remember when we joked about entering the school play?"
Grace watches with amusement as recognition registers on Joan's face.
"Yeah. You said there was no way in hell I'd ever make a good Juliet and I said, well, that you'd make a better Romeo and I bet you that you wouldn't---don't tell me…."
"Juliet, meet your Romeo. Oh, and cash only please."