Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Cute Boy God/Joan (mostly undertones until the end)
Summary: After being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Joan looses her faith as well as her perceived role in the world. Thinking she hallucinated her missions from God, she turns away from those she loves. Can God himself convince her to start living again? Or will she continue to ignore him as a mere figment of her imagination?
Signs of Devine Intervention
"What do you mean?" Joan asked curiously.
"Well people pray to God all the time right?"
"I guess so."
"Well He always gives you what you need, but most people don't recognize God's hand in every day situations. That doesn't mean he isn't there, just that humans don't recognize his intervention."
"What if He's not there?" Joan asked shakily, looking the priest in the eye. She relaxed slightly when he wasn't looking at her as if she was insane for talking about God like a real person.
"He's always there Joan." Father Michaels assured her warmly.
"Except when he's not." She mumbled softly, but Father Michaels heard her.
"That's what faith is Joan. Believing in Him even when there is no proof."
"But what if there is proof and then He just abandons you when you need him most?" She asked angrily, glaring at the priest when he looked surprised at her outburst.
Father Michaels looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Perhaps you needed to find your faith."
"How do I know I'm not just insane?" Joan asked softly, blinking back tears. "Just because I thought he was helping and doing good things doesn't mean it was all in my head."
"Even if it was just in your head, which you already told me isn't true or else you wouldn't still be having visions, those are God's will as well. So either way God is still with you, all you need to do is believe in Him."
"You don't seem at all freaked out that I told you I just talked to God." Joan told him sarcastically after a moment, although it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"There have been other documented cases, besides like I told you just now whether it's God's actual form or not, you're still God's instrument. So there is no real difference."
"Thank you, Father." Joan smiled slightly, giving the shocked priest a big hug. "You've been a big help. Now you aren't going to tell my mother are you?"
"What can I tell her that she doesn't already know?" He asked gently. "That your special? That you've been sick? That you're an instrument of God? We all are."
"Whew. Thanks again. I'll see you later."
"Will you?" He asked curiously. "I hold Mass every Sunday."
"Like I told you I'm not exactly religious… Maybe I could drop by though. Do you think I could come talk to you again if I need to?"
"Of course Joan, you are always welcome."
Joan walked out of the church into the sunlight and for the first time since her hospitalization the day looked promising. She saw her mother waiting across the street and walked over to the car.
"Hey Mom, mind if I walk home?" Joan asked with a smile looking up at the sun. "It's so nice out and I haven't been out in a while."
"Um… sure honey, that's fine." Helen agreed hesitantly. "How did your talk go?"
"It went fine. Father Michaels is cool. I may even go to Mass every now and then." Joan told her casually, getting a kick out of her mother's shocked expression. "So I'll see you in a bit. I'll probably stop off at the park on the way."
"Alright Joan. I'll see you at home."
"Kay." She answered, watching as her mother drove away. She began walking slowly toward the park, watching as three little kids played catch in their front yard. Joan couldn't help but grin at their antics as the two girls tackled a slightly older boy and began tickling him. Their laughter tinkled in the air echoed softly by Joan.
"It's good to see you happy again." A voice commented from next to her. She was so concentrated on the children playing that she didn't notice as someone walked near her. Her head whipped around in surprise only to widen further when she caught sight of the speaker.
Joan gazed at his face in astonishment. Although thanks to Father Michaels she no longer thought she was insane, she didn't really expect to see Him so soon afterwards, if at all. He still looked tasty in dark jeans and a brown corduroy jacket, the sun shining in his hair giving it hues of red and gold.
"It's good to see you too." He interrupted her perusal with a small smirk causing her to blush in embarrassment. She thought she had gotten over her little crush on Him. "Shall we?"
He gestured with his hand down the street and after a slight hesitation Joan began walking. She ignored the pleasurably shiver that ran down her spine when He placed a leading hand at her waist and for the first time in forever she relaxed completely.