Wow, it's been years since I updated this fic. I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed over the years and encouraged me to continue. I really appreciate all of you and that is why I am going to try to continue this fic. Even though I must admit that my interest in the show had diminished over the years. So with this knowledge please excuse me if I get some of the details of the show wrong.

Love to all and let the show continue.

Chapter 4 (Strike Two)

Joan spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding Grace and particularly Adam. After their little 'talk' that morning, Joan wasn't sure she could take seeing him and Iris together right now. Not to mention meeting Eric had seemed to add a whole new level of confusion to her life.

Walking home, Joan absently kicked at a stone before glancing up as she passed the park. She smiled lightly seeing a mother pushing her daughter on the swings, their faces aglow with happiness. Turning away from the happy site Joan spotted a familiar figure reclining on a bench up ahead.

"This can not be happening." Joan practically growled under her breath. Fists clenched as if for battle, Joan tried to resist the temptation to reach out and smack that ever-present smirk right off his pretty little face.

"Hello Joan. How was your day?"

"God?" She questioned reaching his side.

"Yes, Joan?"

"Oh just making sure it's really you, it's hard to tell now-a-days with your double running around!" She all but screamed, gaining them the attention of the entire playground for a moment.

Laughing lightly, God chose to ignore her little outburst and motioned for Joan to have a seat next to him instead. She ignored his gesture; instead she continued to stand before him expectantly.

"So!" She demanded after a few moments. "Who is he? And why dose he look like you?"

Unfazed by her outburst he regarded her calmly for a moment before replying in his usual nonchalant manner. "His name is Eric Wyatt and he doesn't look like me Joan. I, in this form; look like him. "

"You're being evasive! Why do you always have to be evasive? Can't you just answer my questions for once? Is that really so hard?"

Joan hadn't planed on whining at him twice in one day but he was really pushing his luck today, she reasoned petulantly.

He watched her semi temper-tantrum with an expression that could only be described as tolerant. Sighing in resignation he indulged her a moment, "Fine, you want to know why If you were going to meet Eric, did I appear to you in this form that first day on the bus? You already know the answer Joan. Remember, 'you see me as you want to see me'. You chose to see this form Joan, not I. "

"So that's it. I choose to see you…" She said, motioning to his lounging form.

Smiling, he nodded his head in answer and once again motioned for her to have a seat next to him, begrudgingly she sat.

Allowing her a few moments to calm her self, he repeated his question from earlier. "How was your day?"

"I thought God knew everything." Joan challenged childishly.

"I do know everything Joan, but since you so obviously need to vent…" He teased, shaking his head fondly at the picture she made. Slumped low on the bench, arms crossed stubbornly over her chest with an adorable pout gracing her lower lip, she was the perfect picture of a petulant child.

"Well maybe I wouldn't need to vent if you would just leave me alone," Joan bristled, "but since you want to know so much. He blew me off!" Seeming to deflate at this. Feeling dejected Joan sank lower sill on the bench; if only she could melt into the wood work and pretend this day never happened. Just a few more hours.

She didn't know why, considering she had only just met him, but Eric's semi-rejection had cut deeper then she had anticipated. Not in the same way that Adam's cutting remarks from earlier had hurt, but the encounter still left her feeling queasy inside.

"So, you try again." He offered casually after a moment. Noticing her doubtful stare he continued, "I never said this would be easy, Joan. All I ask is that you try. Keep your eyes open and in time this will all make sense. "

"What will make sense?"

He didn't reply he just smiled his usual smile before standing to leave.

"Ok that's it!" She called out suddenly, halting him in his retreat. "If anyone is going to be walking away it is going to be me! Not that you, I mean Eric, or wait…maybe you. Oh who cares! Not that this form, yeah this form doesn't have a nice butt and all but I have seen it walking away from me one to many times today. So good bye!" Before Joan had time to consider her words she quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction.

After she had gone God just stood there for a moment, grinning to himself.

"Soon…" He whispered before disappearing.

Thursday morning had dawned all to quickly for Joan's liking. After her oh so humiliating parting comments to God yesterday, Joan had spent the better part of the evening banging her head against her bedroom wall. With a pounding -but well deserved- head ache Joan had fallen asleep wondering if one could really be condemned to hell for admiring Gods ass.

The only good part about her evening had been that she had managed to temporarily forget about Adam and Iris, well that was until she had spotted the couple cuddling on the steps as she entered school. Growling in frustration Joan quickly made her way past the oblivious couple; hot tears ran unbidden down her cheeks as she hurried unseeing toward her first class.

Tears obscuring her vision, Joan didn't see the dark figure walking toward her until she had run straight into him. In a now familiar scene books went flying and once again Joan found herself caught in two strong arms preventing her from kissing the floor for a second time in the last 24 hours.

Once reality set in Joan glanced up and immediately wished she had just decided to stay in bed this morning. Setting her self-right, Joan put on a stunning smile and prepared for round two.

"Eric! Hi…we should really stop meeting this way, don't you think?" Joan chirped, really hoping she didn't sound too much like an over eager puppy. Apparently she did.

"Yeah, or maybe you should learn to watch where you're walking." He bit back, but there was softness to his eyes that soothed the harsh sting of his words.

A softness that helped to repress the sudden urge to start crying yet again. She would not give up, she was on a mission from God and Joan would be damned if she gave up this easily. Joan turned the smile up a notch, praying her face wouldn't crack under the strain.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. So have you reconsidered my offer?"

Momentarily disarmed by her mega watt smile, Eric yet again prepared himself to give this strange girl the brush off. "Look I'm not sure why you can't seem to take a hint, but let me be clear…I'm not interested. So, if you'll excuse me I have to get to class."

Watching him breeze by her once again Joan was forced to consider a point that she had never given much thought to before this moment, was she really that unappealing to the male half of the population? Or was Eric Wyatt really that much of a jerk?

Shaking her head, she decided that that was one line of questioning that was far to depressing to contemplate at a time like this. Besides, Eric being a jerk was far more likely to be the case, right?

Putting on her best happy face, Joan started to make her way to class before she ended up with detention. Now wouldn't that just be the perfect end to an otherwise splendid day. As she started to walk, she noticed a piece of paper fall out of Eric's pocket as he continued to stalk away from her.

Quickly she moved forward to retrieve the aforementioned piece of paper before it could be carried away by the wind. She picked it up and opened the piece of plain notebook paper to find the words 'The Haven, Thursday 8:30PM' scrolled across the sheet.

Thursday was today, and what was The Heaven?

"Hey Grace, have you ever heard of The Heaven?" Joan questioned lightly as they exited second period a few hours later.

Now subtly was not her strong suit, but in this situation Joan thought it best to attempt to seem as disinterested in her own question as possible. Judging from the look of skepticism that Grace was sending her way, she had obviously failed miserably. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time.

"Yeah I've heard of it. The Heaven is this bar/ nightclub down on 5th street. Why do you ask Girardi?" Grace inquired in her typical abrasive manner.

"Oh no reason…"

Thankfully before Grace could question her any further the bell rang and Joan was left to her thoughts. 5th street, wasn't that where that guy got popped for selling drugs last week? Could Eric be meeting someone at the Heaven to buy or sell drugs tonight? Is this why God had asked her to befriend Eric, to stop him from going down the path of crime?

Well I guess there is only one way to find out.