Title: Forgive Me
Author: hezziebob182
Rating: T
Summary: Common Thread- how it could have been. Chapter 5 up!
Chapter 5: I do. (Original huh?)
Disclaimer: I don't own Joan Of Arcadia. :( Pretty please don't sue me!
OMG! French tutor update- today is… the 5th? Anyways…
He got up on a table at the front of class, put on some hideously feminine French music and started performing equally hideously explicit dance moves. Tell me that is against child protection laws, somebody, please! He is so wrong in the head it's not even true. Oh well. It was hilariously funny and while he's spending half a lesson table dancing (Ah that sounds so wrong…) he can't bust me for chewing gum (I had to give it up just for him, evil!) or passing notes (who even reads other peoples notes anyways… except French speaking psychopaths such as Mr. (I can't put his name, apparently). Hear that sir? (Well you can't really coz you don't know this site exists… hopefully.) One day you will be named and shamed. (No he hasn't got anything medically wrong with him as far as I know, that's the scary thing)
Shout Outs…
Tote: Wow. That's the closest I've ever come to a flamer! Thanks for the review and for being so complementary of my writing. I acknowledge that there have been major flaws in the plot and logic of this fic from the beginning. Like, for instance, how totally far fetched the whole idea is. I respect you for being the first to point that out. TJ mentioned that you and her were writing something that may lead up to a Joan/Adam reunion. I'm looking forward to it.
LostSchizophrenic: Hey dude. I was looking for something of yours to read and review but I haven't seen "Phantom of the Opera" (Am I missing anything?) and I don't watch Jedi whatever that was. And I could have reviewed anyways I guess but that would have been insincere. Hows about you write some JoA and then I give you a long detailed A-level standard essay review (well maybe not quite…) to show my appreciation for your supremely kind reviews? Hehe.
Koala: Hmm. Honeymoon/ wedding night. I assume you meant the sex? Sorry. Usually I'm completely open to requests but I have a set kinda direction I'm taking this in and I'm too lazy to fit new stuff in. I really appreciate the suggestion though.
Lemmingally: (Use Mr. French Teacher voice in head.) What? What? You are so laughing right now, admit it.
For people reading this, check out "Mini Marge and the Unfinished Poptart" by my bestest bud, Lemmingally. It's in my fave stories and it is hilarious. I also have assurance that the funniest stuff is yet to come!
AN: If Adam and Joan do have middle names, I can't remember them so I'm making them up, is that ok? And I'm ignoring some of the standard wedding sequence and changing some stuff around. I would ask if this is ok but I'm the author so I can decide these things (haha power trip only joking).
Damn… Why is all this fun stuff so distracting?
"Adam, one small thing. To you I am Jane. I love that, I'd hate for you to call me Joan after all these years. But just so you know, when we get married tomorrow, the priest will call me Joan in the service."
"Oh yeah. I guess so. It doesn't matter. It's you I'm marrying, Joan or Jane." Adam sometimes forgot that Joan's name was Joan altogether.
"So have you written your vows yet?" Joan had been thinking about them since Adam had suggested they write their own.
"Nah. I don't think I'm gonna write them down. I know what I have to say." He pulls his fiancé in for a quick kiss. "Now I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow." He grinned, realising just how close tomorrow and all that it held was. Luke was waiting downstairs. He had dropped off Grace and Ellie who were spending the night at Helen and Will's with Joan, and was taking Adam back to the apartment.
Joan squeezed Adam tight. "The next time I see you I'll be walking down the aisle."
Adam squeezed her back. "Cha, it's like so close. I can't wait. I don't know how I'm gonna get to sleep tonight."
"Me neither. Love you."
"You too. Bye." Adam hadn't really wanted to spend the night at Luke and Grace's apartment but hey, tradition is tradition, or so Joan had said.
"Bye." Another kiss.
Luke was waiting patiently for them to separate. They did, eventually. "Hey sis. Big day tomorrow." Luke walked over and gave Joan a kiss on the cheek before kissing Grace and the top of Ellie's head. "Night sweetheart."
Grace sincerely hopped he was talking to Ellie.
Luke left, followed by a reluctant Adam.
Everyone got to sleep relatively early. The morning went by in a mess of hair styling, make up, nail painting, tux wearing, corsage pinning and rented limos. Grace and Helen attempted to help Joan get ready and took it in turns to attend to a screaming Ellie. Minor catastrophes such as Joan breaking a nail were smoothed over and Grace managed to deprive the whole stressed household from alcohol throughout these preparations. Grace was a teetotal adult, as was Luke.
Finally they were there.
Joan stepped out into the back of the church and saw her father waiting in the centre of the back of the aisle. She stood strait, holding her bouquet in front of her and walked as gracefully as she could to meet him. Will kisses his daughter and offers her his arm. She takes it and turns to look at Adam. He's smiling, waiting for her like he has been his whole life. She proceeds to walk down the aisle, slowly and in time to the music she knows so well now.
Wedding march, funeral march, they're scarily similar.
Joan turns her head around as subtlety as she can manage to peak at Luke, her brother and best man, Grace, her best friend and maid of Honour and Ellie, currently lying on her dad's shoulder, one of her bridesmaids. They walked slowly behind her and Will. Luke and Grace were probably more familiar with the whole wedding process than Joan. Ellie was wearing a tiny lilac dress that matched Grace's.
Friedman and Glynis followed them. They had been dating the past six months. And getting on pretty well, as Joan would guess, considering they were engaged.
Joan finally reached the altar. A sleepy Ellie was passed to her mom as she went to stand by Joan and Luke went to stand by Adam. Glynis and Friedman took their places.
Awww I love this. All of us back together again. Except…except Judith. I miss you Jude, I really wish you could be here for this. The night you died, when you arranged that date for Adam and I, you told me that one-day we would get married. You were right.
Then she caught a glimpse of that familiar and ever painful to see face in the piles of guests. She wondered is maybe she was cracking up.
What…? Judith?
Joan looked back and saw nothing.
Well maybe Joanith is here today after all.
Joan had finished 'working' for God two years ago; they had both agreed that she had done enough. He still popped in and out of her life on a regular basis but had no demands, no missions. Joan remembered God's cryptic words, "Your time for me has come and gone but be warned, your duties are not yet over. One day when I feel you are ready, the torch shall be passed."
I understand that much but to who and where and why?
She decided not to think about that now.
"Jane," Adam looked into Joan's eyes and considered his next sentence.
The priest looked down at his typed info sheet in confusion. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the paper.
No, it definitely says Joan. Joan Elizabeth Girardi. He did just say Jane didn't he?
He chose to forget it.
Adam continued. "Five years ago on a cold stormy night in my shed, I asked you to marry me. I was so sure I had gone too far. And you, despite all the stuff I put you through and the mistakes I made…"
Like forgetting her name?
The priest wondered.
"…And the stuff I did that hurt you," he sniffed quietly. His voice dropped to a low whisper, "Said yes." He realised everyone in the church was straining to hear him. His voice rises again, still slightly shaky. "You said yes." He turns back to make eye contact with Joan once more. "In the past five years, every single day you've made me smile. Every day I've thought of this. We've shared everything. The good stuff and the bad stuff. From the first day we met you've turned my life upside down. I was drowning Jane,"
Again! He just said Jane again! Does nobody notice? Is my sheet wrong? We met… I think she introduced herself as Joan. What should I say in the service…?
The priest looked through the hoards of guests.
Nobody seems to have noticed!
He worried.
Joan thinks about Adam's last admission.
Drowning. Interesting choice of word. Ask me to describe how I felt that night in the woods in one word? I'd have said drowned. Oh Adam, I can't believe we're getting married... Whoops, guess I should be listening to this.
"I wasdieing slowly a little each day. You pulled me out of the water and made me want to catch my breath. You saved my life. I promise to love you, honour you, respect you, be faithful to you, paint pictures for you and make you feel the way you make me feel every day for the rest of my life." He smiled; pushing aside the fear or embarrassment he had felt about having to recite his feelings to a church full of people.
Joan held back the tears. "Oh Adam. I love you. That's all I've ever known and all I've ever wanted to know. I know you did stuff in the past that you'll never forgive yourself for… but that's where those things are, in the past. And I wish you could forgive yourself, I've… I've forgiven you."
Adam inhaled sharply; shocked to hear the words he never thought he'd hear.
The priest tried to imagine what Adam had done that was so hard to forgive.
Maybe this is about more than him forgetting what her name was…
"I promise to love you, be faithful to you, honour you, respect you and carry on making you feel the way you say I do for the rest of my life."
The priest kicked in… "Do you, Adam Daniel Rove take this woman," He paused for a second.
Ah well. I go with either one I have a fifty- percent chance.
"Joan Elizabeth Girardi, to be your lawful wedded wife?"
Luke takes the rings and passes them to the couple.
Adam took a deep breath. "I do."
The priest looked pleased.
Woohoo. Correct.
"And do you, Joan Elizabeth Girardi, take this man, Adam Daniel Rove, to be you lawful wedded husband?"
The moment Joan had been waiting for, "I do."
"If anyone knows a reason why this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, they should speak now or forever hold their peace."
The church fell silent. After a few seconds the priest continued.
They exchanged rings.
"I now pronounce you man and wife." He turned to Adam. "You may kiss the bride."
They kissed. And kissed. And kissed.
"I love you Mrs Rove."
"I love you too."
Awww… so slushilyfied. Hehe. There are 2 more chapter which, all being well, I am gonna upload strait after this. Review! (Yeah you can read the rest first if you'd prefer!)