Author's Note:
I know, I know. It's been ages since I've updated this one. And I'm sorry about that, but I have—once again—been side-tracked with another story. A huge one. And I mean HUGE one. It's about to be posted (look for something called "Butterflies"), at least the beginnings of it, but I swear, I will finish this story as well. It's just that I have a couple of non-Adam-heavy scenes to write and those always seem like only half the fun. LOL

Just bear with me, it might be a couple of weeks. Months even. I have this thing pretty much planned through right to the end, but most of it is still in my head. And I do have a life outside of fan fiction and the internet, believe it or not. Reviews, as usual, very welcome. Thanks guys for your reviews so far. Each and every one of them makes my day. Now go read.

Chapter 10 – Another Day In Paradise

The scent of blooming flowers was in the air, wafting in from the open window and Joan happily hummed along to a tune that was playing on the radio as she set the breakfast table. A slightly bleary-eyed Adam appeared and walked up to her from behind, kissing her softly on the neck, grumpily muttering, "You're too happy for the fact that it's only 6:30 in the morning."

Joan had to smile at that. Something else that apparently hadn't changed. Adam still wasn't a morning person. She squirmed from his touch. "Go and shave, you're scratchy."

Adam feigned hurt, edging his lower lip forward so that it looked like he was pouting. "Ouch, how you sting. You're a cruel mistress."

"Wife, not mistress, remember?" she teased him.

"You're a cruel wife," he repeated, chuckling now.

"Yeah, I know." She slapped him lightly on his upper arm. "Now go."

"All right, all right," he laughed. When he was almost out the door, he turned back to her, wiggling his finger. "I'll be back. That's a threat."

She laughed back at him, lifting her arms in a mockingly self-protective gesture. "Oooh, I'm so scared now."

He stuck his tongue out at her before he left the room.

Joan went back into the kitchen to get the cereal cartons, still smiling. Boy, had she missed this. Just missed being a wife, having a family. And with a twang of pain, the doubts were back, the uncertainty. How long would they be able to be a family? How long until He would come back and ask for her help, give her another assignment? How long until she would be ripped away from her family again? And she hadn't even told Elya yet. Hadn't told her about the true reason why she had left her family behind ten years ago.

Almost automatically, she went back and fro between the kitchen and the dining table, putting everything there that she thought belonged to a proper and healthy breakfast. The coffee maker was making sputtering noises that usually indicated that the freshly brewed coffee was about done too. The announcer on the radio was saying something about this being a bright and beautiful day and the orange sun setting in the distance was any indication that he might actually be right.

When Elya trudged into the living room, she made a beeline for the breakfast table. She plopped down in her usual chair and let some Fruit Loops tumble from the carton into her cereal bowl, adding milk on top. Joan sat down as well, preparing a sandwich and watching Elya scoop spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth as she did. She couldn't believe it had only been a week and a half since she'd come back. Already it felt like a perfect morning routine.

After their big fight, she and Adam had slowly become closer again, had agreed on making the best of their time together. He had been more distant at first, reluctant. But gradually, Adam had seemed to come to terms with the fact that she had not been faithful, but that she deeply regretted it and knew it had been a giant mistake.

She looked at her daughter, asking her, "Cheese all right with you?" indicating the sandwich in front of her.

Elya's glance was almost exasperated. "Mom, you don't have to make sandwiches for me. Dad never does that."

Joan lifted her eyebrows. "He doesn't? Then I need to have a word with him about that."

Adam came back into the room, fumbling with the knot of his tie, making a face as he did. "A word about what?" he asked.

But Joan didn't elaborate. She got up from her chair and stood in front of him, helping him adjust the tie. "My, don't you look handsome today?" she said with a hint of admiration in her voice.

Adam drew another annoyed face. "Yeah, I hate these things." He put a finger between the collar and his neck, loosening the tightness a little. "Stupid meetings, I hate 'em."

"Aww, come on. You'll live," Joan told him in mock sympathy.

"Yeah, barely," he growled.

"Come on, have some breakfast," Joan invited him.

"First let me do this." He put his hands on her hips, drew her closer to him and planted a kiss on Joan's mouth. "I said I'd be back, didn't I?"

"You're spoiling me," she smiled at him.

"And how is that bad?" he asked back.

Joan looked over at Elya. "Isn't it enough to have one spoiled person in the house?"

Elya looked up at her parents from her cereal bowl, protesting in a loud, "Hey!"

Both Adam and Joan smiled back at her. Behind Joan's back, Adam whispered to Elya, "She didn't mean it."

Joan turned around to Adam, "Yes, I meant it." There was a teasing twinkle in her eye. "But what is it I hear about her father not making her sandwiches to take to school?"

"Hey, not my fault." Adam shrugged his shoulders. "She asked me to stop doing it, so I did."

Joan sat back down and looked at the buttered sandwich, then at Elya. "So you don't want this, do you?"

Elya shook her head, chewing on her Fruit Loops. "Okay," Joan said cheerfully. She dug the knife into the cherry jam and spread it over the bread before she took a hearty bite from it.

Elya just gave her a strange look but didn't comment any further. Adam sat down at the table, not making a move to eat anything.

"Not hungry?" Joan asked him, looking at him.

"Too early," was his simple answer as he sipped at his coffee mug. Cream, no sugar, Joan noticed. Also something that hadn't changed.

"That's not healthy, you know?" she told him.

"Yeah, I know. And yet I'm still alive, after years and years of skipping breakfast."

"You're a hopeless case," Joan said in a resigned tone, but making it sound like a little harmless chaffing.

Elya licked the milk from her spoon and put it back down into the now empty bowl. Looking at Joan, she said, "You know, I've been trying to tell him for ages that he should eat something in the morning. Just the other week we learned in health class how important it is that you start the day with a good breakfast."

Joan raised her eyebrows. "Hear that?" She looked at Adam. "You've got a pretty smart daughter."

Adam sighed. "Two smart women, I think I'm outnumbered." He pulled the cereal bowl in front of him closer and reached for the cornflakes and milk. "I give up. Happy now?" He poured flakes and milk into the bowl, then looked from Elya to Joan.

Both were smiling. "Very," said Joan, giving Adam the sweetest of smiles. She just couldn't help smiling at her adorable husband, now that he was right there next to her.

Adam smiled back a smile just as sweet. "Yeah, you would be."

Elya had to look down, hiding a smirk. "Look at you. You're like lovestruck teenagers. It's disgusting."

Both Adam and Joan looked at their daughter now, then at each other. Joan had to smile again. "Teenagers..." Her eyes took on a thoughtful expression. "That's so long ago. I don't think I even remember that far back."

"Not sure I want to," Adam chimed in between bites. There were things in their past that weren't all too pleasant to think or talk about. Things that reflected recent events and their big fight, and neither of them was prepared to go there again.

To quickly change the subject, Joan looked at Adam expectantly. "So, what's on the agenda tonight? I thought we could all catch a movie or go out to dinner or something." Joan was desperately trying to catch up on the family life, wanting to spend as much time with Adam and Elya. She didn't trust the peace, secretly she was always expecting Him to pop in and hand her another assignment, ask her to leave again.

Elya's face fell slightly. "Uh, I have jujitsu practice, Mom. And I was gonna meet with Joanna afterwards."

Joan tried to hide her disappointment. "Okay, so that leaves the two of us then, huh?" She now directed her gaze at her husband.

Adam's expression was apologetic, almost sad. "I'm sorry, Jane. I promised Steven I'd drop by to fix something with his computer. We've been putting it off for weeks, I think he'd be pretty peeved if I cancel on him again."

"Right." Now Joan didn't try to hide her disappointment anymore. Truth was, she felt like an intruder suddenly. Like she had entered the life of a family that she wasn't a part of anymore. A family who had made friends she didn't know, was immersed in activities that she had no part of.

Adam's eyes met hers and there was this intense, soulful look in them that Joan had almost forgotten. He got up and stood behind her chair, placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. He bowed down to plant a kiss on her head. "I can cancel on Steven. We can do something tonight," he told her in the gentle voice she always associated with something soft and sweet, like cotton candy.

Joan was torn between wanting to spend time with her husband or giving him the space he might need, leaving him the part of his own life that she had suddenly taken over again. She realized that she'd have to slide her way back into this family slowly, not force herself upon them like a wedge being hammered in. Her right hand went to her left shoulder to place it over Adam's left hand. "No," she told him. "You and Steve knock yourselves out. We'll do something some other time." Silently, she hoped there would be another time.

"Are you sure?" Adam's voice was still gentle, doubtful.

"Yeah," she said determinedly. "I'm positive. I'll just ... give this house a good spring cleaning or something. I'll keep busy."

Who was she kidding? Like she'd actually enjoy doing chores! Who ever did? The truth was, during the day, when Adam and Elya were out, at school or at work, she was starting to get bored. There was only so much relaxing one could take, especially someone with her past. She felt very useless during these solitary hours in the house. It had been a welcome change in the beginning, but she was starting to get itchy with the need for something that involved a little more activity, a little more responsibility.

"Okay, Jane," Adam told her before he went over to his seat to pour down the last mouthful of his now lukewarm coffee.

Elya shifted her position on her chair, drawing one leg up and putting her bare foot underneath her other thigh. She looked at her father as she asked, "Why do you call Mom Jane all the time anyway?"

Adam smiled at the memory. Jane. Where exactly had she come from? He looked at Joan lovingly. "The first time I set eyes on her, in AP Chem class, that's who she was. She was standing there and I thought: That's Jane."

"You were in AP Chem?" Elya gaped at her father.

Adam almost blushed. "Yeah, believe it or not."

Elya grinned. "I so cannot picture you as a chemistry buff."

Adam shrugged his shoulders upwards. "Who said I was a buff?"

"So you sucked at it?" Elya asked.

Adam had to chuckle. "No, I didn't really suck either. I just ... I guess we all wormed our way through." To Joan he said, "I don't think we would have made it without your brother, though."

"So true," Joan admitted. "Your uncle Luke is the science geek."

To bring the conversation back on topic, Elya said, "So to you she was Jane. That's still no reason to call her that when it's not her name."

"To me it was enough of one," Adam replied.

Joan added, "Well, actually in the beginning your father was a bit of a dreamer. Everyone thought he was a stoner."

Adam's smile was almost embarrassed as Joan continued. "I thought he didn't know my real name and kept calling me Jane because he didn't know better. Until I found out it wasn't quite like that."

"How so?" Elya asked, but Joan sighed a weary sigh.

"You remember when I told you about the smashed sculpture? That had something to do with it, but it's a bit of a long story. And the two of you need to get going. Let's save it for later, all right?"

Elya resigned, albeit not easily. "Yeah, but I believe you owe me more than just that story."

Joan looked down to her lap where she found her fingers fumbling around with the seam of the tablecloth. In a voice heavier and laced with troubles she said, "Yes. Yes, I do, Elya. And I'm gonna make good on that soon, I promise."

"Okay," Elya just accepted.

Joan looked up, desperate to break up the tension that had suddenly built up. "Now shoo. You're not even dressed yet," she told her daughter.

Elya drew a face but knew she had to obey. Reluctantly, she left the table and then went upstairs to her room to pick her outfit for the day.

Adam and Joan carried the dirty dishes and the food into the kitchen together. When they were finished, Adam stood opposite Joan and kissed her softly on the lips. He lifted his eyebrows when he leaned back. "You told her about the sculpture?"

He didn't have to explain which sculpture he meant. "Yeah, I ... It was after we had the big fight the other morning."

"Hm," Adam just murmured. Then the look on his face turned more serious and almost worried. "When are you gonna tell her?"

Joan took a step back to separate their physical connection. "Soon," she simply said.

There was a certain tiredness in his voice, something impatient mixed in. "Jane, you have to tell her. She needs to know."

"I know," Joan said wearily, then she breathed out a heavy lungful of air. "It's just ... I don't know if I'm ready. If she's ready."

Adam took a step closer and took both her upper arms, gently but determinedly. "Believe me, she's ready. Look, you said yourself you didn't know how much time you had. We need to stop kidding ourselves. You might not be able to stay much longer. You need to do this." His gaze on her was intense. So intense that she didn't know if she could stand it much longer.

"I will tell her. As soon as I get the chance. I promise," she told him, her voice firm.

Adam released his grip on her arms and drew her closer, gave her a light hug. Joan let herself be enveloped by his arms and placed her head on his shoulder.

"So, rain check about tonight?" he asked as they broke from their embrace.

She gave him a brave smile. "Yeah, rain check."

"Okay," Adam seemed to accept her answer. He went into the hall and called up the stairs. "Elya? Get a move on, we need to leave."

"I'm coming!" filtered Elya's voice down the staircase before she ran down the stairs in fast steps. "Ready," she exclaimed.

Adam turned to Joan and gave her another kiss, this time on the cheek. "See you tonight, Jane."

Joan saw the both of them off from the open front door. "You two be good. Go get 'em. Both of you."

Adam and Elya each gave her a wave as they went to the car. Joan sighed and closed the door behind her, her face changing to not quite that much of a pleasant expression. Another day to kill by herself with very little to do but chores.

The weatherman had indeed been right. Who would have thought? It was indeed a beautiful day, if maybe a little chilly for April, and Joan didn't feel much like staying in the house. She needed fresh air, something she had somehow not gotten enough of these past few days. So she put on a jacket and left the house.

It was really the first time she was paying attention to her surroundings. A lot of this town had changed in ten years, she only realized that now. New homes had been built all around, buildings she had never seen had appeared here and there. This city had apparently transformed from sleepy retreat to a popular small town where families would build their own, cozy little home—far enough away from busy streets, yet close enough to the city to take a stroll through the mall for some real or just window shopping.

Joan began wandering aimlessly, letting her feet guide her. The cherry trees planted along the street were in bloom and the wind was blowing the pink-white petals through the air, swirling them around in eddies on the sidewalk around her feet. She breathed in the scent and relished in the albeit short-lived feeling of carefree unconcern.

It took her a good twenty minutes to reach the park just outside of the downtown area. She hadn't been here in so long, she almost didn't recognize it. Flowerbeds had been rearranged, some of the trees had grown quite a bit. New recreation areas and playgrounds had been built, equipped with modern, state-of-the-art junglegyms and monkey bars and other gadgets. Joan strolled along one of the paths, sitting down on one of the benches to watch a group of young adults playing a game of Frisbee on one of the lawns.

"Bored, Joan?" she suddenly heard an all too familiar voice from behind her.

She jerked her head around to recognize one of the many avatars of Him that she had gotten to know over the years. This one she was probably most familiar with, He was the first one who had ever approached her, had told her about her special connection to the world. And He looked just as strikingly handsome, even now, both of them having aged almost twenty years since they had first met.

"Oh, please," Joan told Him with a hint of frustration in her voice. "Why do you keep asking questions that you already know the answers to?"

"What you think and what you tell people isn't the same. That's why I think mind reading would never become widely acknowledged, had someone invented or mastered it by now. Too much privacy being violated."

"To answer your question," Joan stated, knowing full well He would prod until He got an answer, "yeah, I guess you could say I'm slightly bored. So, have you come to take me away again? To send me someplace where I can do good and help and be useful? Someplace where my family isn't? Because as much of a drag as being a housewife can be, I think I'd prefer that if it meant being with Adam and Elya." More quietly, she added, "Because I don't think I could stand leaving again. Didn't it do enough damage the first time? Please don't make me," she almost whispered.

CuteBoy-God sat down next to her. His eyes were warm when they looked at Joan, compassionate. "See that brown-haired young woman over there?" He pointed at a girl, maybe in her late teens or early twenties, jumping in the air and catching the Frisbee someone had thrown in her direction. Energetically, she ran a few yards and passed the Frisbee on to one of her team mates, clapping loudly in anticipation of a point being scored for her team.

"Yeah, what about her?" Joan asked almost wearily. She could feel another assignment coming on.

"I'd like you to meet her," CuteBoy-God said matter-of-factly.

"And then what?"

"You'll see," He told her with that annoyingly enigmatic smile. "Her name's Tammy. Take her out to dinner. I think the two of you have a lot to talk about."

"Like what?" Joan asked, not sure she was going to get an answer.

"Go and talk to her, Joan," CuteBoy-God said. It was more of an order, coming from Him.

"All right," Joan sighed, resigning to her fate. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. Maybe this didn't mean leaving again. That was certainly a possibility.

He got up from the bench and lingered, standing in front of Joan for a moment. Joan looked up at Him with a certain sense of curiosity. "What?" she asked Him.

He smiled a wise smile at her. "You've come a long way, Joan."

Joan's reply was sarcastic, the way it often was when it came to talking to Him. "Gee, thanks. Is that another way of saying that I've finally grown up?"

"Oh, you have much more than that. Think about that, will you?" He stepped aside and walked away, lifting his right arm to give her The Wave.

"Great," Joan muttered. "Always with the hidden meanings."

Her glance went to the brown-haired girl with the loosely bouncing brown curls. Tammy. Was that short for Tamara? Joan sighed again and started to walk over to her. She would find out soon enough.

She approached Tammy just as they had finished their Frisbee match. Tammy was standing to the side with her team mates. Joan could hear snippets of conversation as she got closer. "Oh, you lousy slacker, you could have easily scored that point!" - "No way, not with you hiding out on the other side of the field." - "Aw, come on!"

Joan vaguely remembered a time when she and her friends had engaged in physical activities that were actually fun—like a Frisbee match among friends. "Um, excuse me. Tammy?" she carefully walked up to Tammy.

Tammy looked at her, at first confused and surprised that a complete stranger would know her name. Then her hand went to her mouth, as if she had recognized her counterpart. "Oh my God, you're Joan!" Tammy explained.

Now it was Joan's part to look puzzled. What was going on? She had never seen, never met this girl before today, not that she could recall. Her eyebrows creased together as she answered, "Yes, I'm Joan. Have we met?"

Tammy blushed slightly, then stammered, "Uh ... no. No, I don't ... I don't think so. Wow, I didn't think I'd actually meet you. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry," Joan tried again. "I'm a little confused. I think you know more about me than I do about you. How—"

They were interrupted by one of Tammy's friends, a buff looking guy with short, blond hair. "Sorry to interrupt. Tammy, we gotta go if we don't wanna be late."

Tammy looked slightly stressed for a moment, not sure what to do. She half turned to go but hurriedly said to Joan, "Look, I'm sorry, I gotta go."

Joan quickly cut in, "I know this might sound a little weird, but do you think we could have dinner some time?"

Tammy looked surprised, but also pleased. Her face lit up into a smile. "Uhm ... yeah, sure. Where and when?"

Joan looked lost. She didn't know this town well enough anymore to suggest what place would have good enough food and not be too loud to talk. She tried not to let it show. "Where do you suggest?"

Tammy thought for a moment, then said, "There's this nice Italian place, 'Antonio's'. You know it? Their pizza is to die for. How about tomorrow, say, 7:30?"

"I love Italian, sounds perfect," Joan said enthusiastically. "Where is it?"

"Brighton Square, you'll find it. If not, ask around, it's pretty popular."

"Okay, sure," Joan replied and watched Tammy leave with her friends. She couldn't help but wonder who this young woman really was and why God might want her to get to know her.