Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything from Joan of Arcadia. Just me having fun and passing the time.
Summary: Two jobs, summer vacation and a new boyfriend… How can one girl cope?
Author's Note: Sorry for the long gap in posting. I'm moving, so it's hard to find the free time. Anyways, since I got a huge response on the Luke/Grace story, here is the behind the scenes. It takes place after Adam and Helen leave on the plane, which would be Thursday. It ends on Sunday afternoon. I'll update soon with what happens at the party, PLUS what happens for poor Joan. Please Read and Review. You know I love it.
Luke jogged up the stairs to his bedroom, his mind still sifting through ideas for surprising Grace. 'What could work to get her off guard?' He sat down at his desk, pulling out a pen and a notebook and he began brainstorming. Twenty minutes later, he was still staring at a blank piece of paper. This wouldn't do. Nothing he could think of would work. Why was it so easy for her to catch him unawares, and he couldn't do the same in return. His mind drifted back to the Crystal Ball, when Grace first surprised him into attending the party with him. And then later on, when she kissed him at the pestering of Friedman…. 'Wait! That was it.' Maybe if he could recreate the whole scene – minus Friedman, of course – then maybe he could show her how much that night meant to him. Showing displays of emotions always put Grace in a defensive mood. Maybe that was the key to it all? Showing her his emotions?
'Well, now that I've got an idea – and I really should go over it with Joan – where can I have it? I don't want to have it here, and I can't do it at her place. Hmmm… Maybe Joan would have some ideas.' With those thoughts in mind, Luke left his room in search of his sister. He found her in the living room flipping through the channels, still muttering to herself. She didn't look up as he sat down in the adjacent arm chair, staring intently at her waiting for her to look at him.
Finally Joan could stand the staring no longer, snapping at him, "What?!"
"I need your help?"
"That's not all you need… What do you need help with?"
"Okay, I was thinking about what you said today at the airport, and I think I've come up with something. I want to recreate the dance, or at least part of the dance… the part where she kissed me. Does that sound like it would work?"
"I don't know… It might, but who knows if you'd get the reaction you're hoping for."
"At this point, any reaction would be better than what she's displaying now. She's a puzzle – one that utterly confuses me. She intrigues me like a complicated science experiment. I'm dying to figure out what makes her tick-"
"What a flattering image you have of her. Geez, Luke, do you think that might be your problem? You think of everything in terms of science… Not everything is a science experiment, and to think so in terms of Grace is kind of insulting…"
"Yeah, you're right. I just can't help it… when I get nervous, science helps me."
"Okay, so you have an idea. Where are you going to have this? Here at the house?"
"No. I haven't thought that far, yet. Maybe I could rent a room…"
"You mean at a hotel? OOoooh no."
"What?"
"Hello, Luke. First off, you aren't old enough to get a room. At least not in this town. Remember, there is this thing called legal age – eighteen. Second of all, I don't think you're going to get the right point across. She's going to think you're looking to have sex with her. I can't believe I have you and sex together in the same sentence. I feel dirty-"
"Wait… yeah. Okay, I guess you're right. And I resent your comments about me and sex. But that isn't important, where should I have it?"
"I have no idea. Why not bug Kevin? He might have some ideas."
"Yeah, okay… I'll go talk to Kevin." With that, Luke scurried out of the room in search of his older brother.
Joan watched her brother leave, shaking her head at him. He was one mixed-up individual. Thinking of that description brought to mind her own problems, and with a grumble, she went back to channel surfing.
"Uh… hey, Kev, can I talk to you a minute?" Luke had finally cornered Kevin in the kitchen with Rebecca. They had come from a meeting at the paper, and Kevin was hoping to get a chance to talk to Rebecca about what was going on between them and to apologize for the ass that he was. He turned to glare at his younger brother, and normally that would deter Luke with one of his 'talks,' but that night he couldn't be dissuaded. Kevin finally gave in with a sigh, turning his chair so that he was facing a nervous Luke.
"Okay… what is it? Make it quick, I don't have all night."
"Kevin!" Rebecca gave him a reproachful look at his harsh tone to his brother. He heaved another sigh, apologizing to Luke.
"I uh… I need your help. I wanted to do something nice for Grace. You know, a surprise. See, she has this about showing emotions. Well, emotions other than revulsion, annoyance, and anger among other things. Anyways, I thought that if I threw her a surprise. Actually it was Joan's idea that I surprise her. You know, to catch her off guard. I thought of a good idea. Reliving the past sort of. Well, not really, because that is scientifically impossible-"
"Does this whole ramble have a point? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I want to recreate the Crystal Ball, but I have no idea where. Do you have any suggestions?"
Kevin arched a brow at the question, "how would I know?"
"Well, I thought… I don't know what I thought. Joan mentioned you, and I don't know-"
"I have a suggestion. I have a friend who is a counselor. He owns this small building for get togethers. The self-help variety. I'm sure you could set it up there. I'll give him a call tomorrow morning, considering he owes me a favor for putting an article about him in our paper. I'll see what I can come up with." Rebecca smiled at Luke, finding it sweet that this flustered youth would go to such lengths to impress a girl. 'It was a shame that the attitude didn't rub off on Kevin', Rebecca thought with a sigh. She knew that he invited her back to his place as a way to apologize and get back into her good graces. She honestly didn't know if she could forgive him quite yet. He did a number on her trust when he admitted to what he and Michelle did that night.
"Thank you! Thanks a lot… Yeah, that'd be great." Luke gave her a wide, excited grin before rushing out of the kitchen to tell Joan about it. He hoped she could spare some time on Saturday morning to take him shopping for supplies.
He stepped back to look at the scene before him. The small, conference room that Martin Stiles let him use had transformed from a neutral, bare room to a mini replica of the school dance that he and Grace had attended months prior. His critical eye saw the many flaws in the room, knowing he couldn't completely create the whole affair – he was limited with space and funds. He turned to watch his sister gather up the bits of garbage that they had strewn all over the floor, glancing at her watch in between in a fit of paranoia at not wanting to be late on her second day at the home.
Luke studied her as she worked, wondering why she took the job in the first place. He honestly couldn't picture her in that kind of atmosphere, but he was learning new things about his sister every day. Before she had been as predictable as one could get, but now… She was a mystery, like Grace. One equally intriguing, but he wasn't obsessed with finding out what made her do the things she did.
He had to feel a bit sorry for her, considering she hadn't heard from Adam since he left on Thursday. Luke was tired of seeing her mope about the house staring at the phone in the vain hope that it would ring. It never did.
"Okay… That's all of it. You set?"
"Yeah. That should do it. I've got the food ready to be delivered before Grace gets here."
"How'd you convince her to show up?"
"I asked her, and she refused. I asked again, and she threatened me… So, I uh, just told her that I would visit her at her house unless she met me here. I promised that after tonight I wouldn't bother her for the rest of the summer."
"That'd be enough incentive for her… Are you going to be able to deal with the consequences of that promise?"
Luke looked down at his fidgeting hands, miserable at the thought of not being able to see Grace at all this summer if he wasn't successful with this private party. "I can only hope that this works."
"For everyone who lives with you… I hope so, too. Let's go. I've got just enough time to drop you off at the house and then make it to the home. I hope I don't have to talk to Mrs. Johanon after yesterday. That lady is just terrible."
Before Luke could respond, Joan grabbed the few bags at her feet and made her way outside. She threw the bags in the back of her vehicle and climbed into the driver seat. Luke scrambled to get into the passenger seat, holding on to the door handle as she squealed out of the parking lot in a rush to get to her job and find out what was going to happen. Luke prayed silently that he would survive the drive in order to meet up with Grace. This had to work… Otherwise he was doomed to having a horrible summer like Joan. He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes, and prayed even harder. He didn't want to have that bad of a summer.