Title: Forgive Me
Author: hezziebob182
Rating: T
Summary: Common Thread- how it could have been. Chapter 4 up!
Chapter 4: Ellie Louise.
Disclaimer: I don't own Joan Of Arcadia. :( Pretty please don't sue me!
Heya people. I know Ally's probably mentioned this to you but anyways… let me set the scene for you. Me, Ally, punk/rock local talent gig. Who turns up? Evil French tutor with jazzy shirts (worryingly replaced for "system of a down" t-shirt but hey the bracelets were still there!). Who the hell invited him? He must be the only person there over 30 who aren't there solely to make sure we don't set the building on fire! I get into the spirit of things jut a bit too much. We may have moshed. I promised to learn my vocab like a good little girl for a whole week if he forgets to mention this to the class. He spends the whole of next lesson asking Al and I if we are tiered and giving us strange smiles. The world is out to embarrass us.
Because I wrote those notes a day or two ago, here is a French tutor update (is it like, illegal for me to put my rants about him on the net? Let me know somebody!). Today he invaded a note that was really private and despite my relentless begging, he read it. And wouldn't give it back! God I hate him. Well the one-week has gone by so I can now go back to doing nothing much in French. I can, from my one week of actually trying,I cantell you (yeah this is kinda all the information I retained) that the French for youth hostel sounds like aubergine. Je m'appelle hezziebob. Parlez vous fraincais. No, not really. I can tell you that the French for youth hostel sounds like aubergine though. See? I'm an endless source of knowledge.
Just a few more shout outs, to the same people as last time,
Lemmingally: I'm always here for you chucky duck. I mean it. Call me. X
LostSchizophrenic: Hey dude. Again. I really don't have any idea as to why you like this story so much but I'm really happy that you do . Thank you!
Sam: Heyhey. Is it weird that I'm kinda disappointed that you're not mysterious? So where can I find your fics?
Oh, oh yeah, where was I? The story. I apologise.
AN: Fast forward by five years, this is where we are. So maybe they're a little young but just go with it. This was gonna be the wedding but decided to make it a little snippet of the week before, just so that I can have more time for the wedding and still put up something. So no, this is not, as stated in chapter 3, the end.
"Oh Grace, she's so beautiful, you're so lucky." Joan peered over at the tiny sleeping baby in Grace's arms. One of her tiny, tiny fingers was curled one of Grace's, the one with her wedding ring on.
"Not so beautiful when she's keeping us up all night, eh Luke?" Luke was sat next to Grace, his arms curled around his wife and baby.
Luke kissed Grace's cheek. "She, and you, will always be so beautiful to me. We've only had two weeks Grace, give it time."
"I can't believe she's only two weeks old, it seems like she's been home with us since forever." Grace smiled, thinking of the her wedding to Luke just one year ago, the apartment they shared, the jobs they had that they both loved and now their baby. Luke was doing post grad theorem whilst working at the science museum part time. Grace had just taken maternity leave from Arcadia high school where she teaches ethics. She is know by her first name and makes it plain that kids can turn up if and when they want to. Despite this, her classes have the highest attendance rate. Last year she had 283 pupils in total. She gave out 283 A's. There is talk of her replacing Mr. Price as vice principle.
If somebody had told me six years ago that this was what my life would involve in six years time, I'd have asked them where I could find their dealer.
"So you went to the registry office?" Helen strolled over to kiss the top of her granddaughter's head.
"Yep. Ellie Louise Girardi. It's official."
"What about you Grace? Are you okay? Any more questions? It may have been a while since Luke was a baby but I still remember it!" Helen and Grace had become just as close as mother and daughter through the pregnancy. Grace had dragged Luke back to his parent's house many nights, just so she could stay up all night and eat ice cream with Helen and Joan and talk about baby stuff.
"Um… a few things I wanna ask about but we're not going to talk about Ellie now, we are going to go and help Joan pick out her wedding dress."
"Oh Grace, it can wait! I could stay here and stare at her all day." Joan loved being an aunt. In fact Ellie had already sparked a few conversations with Adam about them having kids. His reply had been the sensible- "Let's get married and then have kids." Well now the marriage was only a week away, Joan thought about her and Adam having their own little Ellie more and more. She wasn't jealous of Luke or Grace, the timing had been right for them. Now was agreeably the right time for her and Adam. He had finished all his courses, had a steady well paying graphic design job and frequently spoke of becoming a dad.
"It can not wait! The wedding's a week away! Ellie's sleeping; I got her a baby sling whatever you call it. We'll be fine. Won't we Helen?"
"Grace is right honey. We are going to get you a dress. Today."
"Okay then." Joan grinned and ran upstairs to get her bridal magazines that she had been marking pages with post-its for months.
They went to a dress shop in the next town, only after Grace and Helen spent half an hour assembling the baby sling. Joan's eyes scanned over all the dresses her eyes could see.
Which one? There's so many! It has to be perfect!
They spent a few hours there before Joan chose. It was long and pure white and sleeveless with a flowing train and veil. Joan saw it and imagined a princess trapped in a tower from a fairytale.
It really is perfect. I didn't think it would be that easy.
They went back home. Adam met them there.
"So did you get the dress?" Adam was just as exited about the wedding as Joan.
"Yes. It's so perfect Adam. Your gonna love it."
"I'll bet."
Ellie woke up and let out a faint cry. Grace got up to get her from the crib in the Girardi living room.
"I'll go Grace." Luke jumped up to go to Ellie.
Grace sat down on a nearby sofa and watched, smiling, as Luke carefully lifted his daughter and carried her to the kitchen. He strapped her into the baby chair on the counter-top and heated a bottle. The cries got softer and softer as she calmed, watching Luke. He took her out of the chair and carried her to the sofa with the milk tucked under his arm. He settled next to Grace, feeding Ellie. Grace marvelled at how quickly they had both established some sort of pattern.
Luke is such an unbelievable dad. I knew he would be. Ever since the day I told him about my mom and he came strait to school to see me and hold me and make it all so much better. I knew he was the only person who would ever get me. And I was right. And now we have Ellie. Beautiful, precious, tiny, soft, innocent Ellie. She's a part of us. Luke and I, frozen together for all of time in another person. It's amazing.
Grace closed her eyes for a second, realising just how tired she is.
Two weeks of stolen half hours of sleep each night really does you in.
She woke up to find the house dark, her, Luke and Ellie covered with blankets.
To be continued…
Next up, wedding. Hehe.
Keep on rockin dudes!
Hezzie xXx