Title: Enough

Summary: Grace has her first revelation about Joan's sanity. Thankfully, Luke is there to help her through it.. Post The Boat.

A/N: I stole the drawstring pants joke from Daria and modified it a little. I know, I'm so unoriginal. I don't care, it made me laugh.

Luke kept his eyes focused on the ground as he listened in on the conversation in front of him as the group of kids filed out of chemistry.

"Where have you been?" Grace was asking his sister. "Did you have the swine flu or something?"

"I was building a boat," Joan said unenthusiastically, letting out one of her famous dramatic sighs. Grace must have given her a strange look, because she continued, "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okaaay," Grace replied with a hint of amusement, watching Joan rush off down the hallway. Luke slowed down as he passed her, trying to work up the courage to say something to her. If only his mind hadn't blanked out and left him with nothing.

Luckily, for him, she caught his eye as he passed and gave him a confused look, nodding in the direction Joan had just run off to.

"Your sister is completely crazy."

"Tell me something I don't know," Luke responded with a small, somewhat nervous laugh. His palms began to sweat and he forced himself to stop grinning like an idiot as he moved to stand next to her.

"Your parents ever consider an institution?" she asked, her eyebrow raising in a way that indicated she was joking. "I hear shock therapy is quite effective."

"Well, we tried," he told her with a fake heavy sigh. "But Joan had fashion issues with the white drawstring pants, so it didn't really work out."

Grace chuckled, and Luke had to fight not to grin ear to ear at the fact that he had made her laugh. She seemed less intimidating in that moment; somehow that small little deep throated laugh she had given him had somehow made her seem less harsh and in your face, and more like a girl that just might be able to appreciate his intellect and wit. It was fleeting, because now she was leaving his side, heading down the hall, and giving him a small nod in way of a farewell. He found himself trying to hold on to that tiny moment in time with her and called out after her.

"Catch you later, Grace."

Grace froze in the middle of the hall and turned to look at him. She was fully aware that she had never given her name, if the confused wrinkle of her brow was any indication. He shrugged shyly and gave her a small smile, hoping he hadn't ruined whatever connection had formed between them, as little as it may be.

He saw a glint of something in her eyes, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. She didn't quite smile, but it wasn't her usual angry frown either, and she turned, continuing down the hall. Luke stood still for a minute, looking after her, a ghost of a smile still on his face.

It wasn't much, but it was something. That was enough for him.