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True to Joel's prediction, seventh grade did separate he and Wednesday, but not for long. In ninth grade they ended up at cross-town rival high schools, and the year found Wednesday appearing at more school events than in her entire past combined. Every time the Eagles and the Vipers had a sporting event, she and Joel would sneak off and sit below the bleachers together. When she even tagged along to the women's golf team's competition, one confused coach suggested that Wednesday should try out for the cheerleading squad.
Joel laughed until he choked when Wednesday told him. Wednesday thought that it was a bit unfortunate when he survived, but she certainly liked kissing him, and that would be harder to do if he was buried.
In tenth grade, the school counselor decided that Wednesday wasn't involved with her peers enough and decreed that she join a club or risk not graduating. Under vehement protest, Wednesday decided to join the French club, though she didn't explain to Joel why.
Joel played chess, which made him well-rounded enough for his own school counselor, if not enough for his mother. As she continued to decry the Adams influence on her son, Joel grew out of his asthma, out of his shyness, and about a foot and a half taller. He helped Pugsley with his homework, bought Wednesday black roses for her birthdays, and took dancing lessons from Gomez, a fact that was well hidden from Morticia and Wednesday until the night of her sweet sixteen party.
When they reached junior year, the school counselors struck again, insisting that Joel and Wednesday both chose their future career and schooling goals. Wednesday said that she intended to go to college, and then travel the world with her husband's money. This, unfortunately, did not appease her counselor, who called her parents in for a chat.
Morticia approved whole-heartedly of Wednesday's goals, and Gomez declared that 'no Addams would ever work for a living ever again!' before sweeping from the room. When the baffled counselor asked Wednesday to at least pick a probable major, Morticia suggested Potions, which the counselor wrote down as 'Chemistry?'. Wednesday thought for a long moment before declaring that if she had to pick a major now, she would like to take Psychology or Medical Sciences.
The counselor looked relieved as asked if she would then go on to medical school. Wednesday smiled slightly and shook her head. She just wanted to know more about what made people work, so she could better exploit them.
Much to the relief of his own mother, Joel decided to go into medicine. To her horror, his goal was to become a Pathologist and work in a morgue. Wednesday loved the idea.
Senior year saw both Wednesday and Joel getting into their top choice colleges: University of California San Francisco and San Diego. Joel talked Wednesday into attending at least one of their senior proms, so that he could dance with her. She agreed, and wore a stunning black gown that her Grandma made. She even took her hair out of its usual plaits and wore it long, the way her mother did. Joel thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world at that moment, and resolved to be with her forever.
Joel graduated with honors and a space in UCSD's class of 2003. Wednesday attended his graduation and, though she didn't cheer, she did smile when he walked by with his diploma. Wednesday graduated cum laude, with her own spot reserved at UCSF. Most of her family attended, and they stood up and applauded wildly when she crossed the stage, diploma in one hand, and a good luck skull from Grandma in the other.
Joel smiled at her when she passed, and she smiled back before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. At the after party, held in the Addams' house, of course, Joel's mother quickly fainted after seeing Cousin Itt, and had to be put in one of the spare bedrooms to recover. Unfortunately, it was the room where Lurch was storing all of the presents, and at the sight of the looming butler, Joel's mother collapsed completely and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital.
Joel, on the other hand, had a wonderful night. After being congratulated by all the members of the Addams clan, eating a wonderful dinner, and sharing a few dances with Wednesday, he followed her out to the cemetery. As they often had, the young couple sat on one of the many benches scattered throughout the graveyard and talked and kissed until dawn.
Though they were going to two different schools again, Joel and Wednesday spoke together at least twice a week, and saw each other often. When Wednesday received word that Pugsley had been assigned to the same high school counselor as she, and that said counselor had promptly had a nervous breakdown and quit, Joel was the first person she told. When Joel dissected his first cadaver, he sent a carefully preserved aortic segment to Wednesday. She kept it above her bed the entire time she was at San Francisco.
Wednesday ultimately decided to double major in History and Medical Sciences. Her combined thesis paper was an extremely well detailed accounting of the effect that various historical torture methods had on the body. Her experience was all first hand, gained the summer before her junior year with Joel as her only slightly squeamish assistant.
The day he willingly laid her out on a rack, and then impishly turned it a half turn tighter than she had specified, Wednesday knew that she had found the man she always wanted to live with. She didn't tell him, of course, but Morticia smiled knowingly when Wednesday greeted her the next morning. Wednesday didn't know it, but that day her mother and grandma began to sew a traditional Addams wedding gown for her.
Aside from her majors, Wednesday also took numerous language classes, the basics of which she had all picked up from her Uncle Fester over the years. She would write letters to Joel, changing languages frequently throughout, and he never knew if she was doing it on purpose or not. Joel had taken Latin in high school, which was very helpful in his medical studies, but in college he added Spanish and French as well. He didn't have the gift for languages that Wednesday had, but he hoped that if they traveled after their marriage, that he would at least be able to keep up with her sometimes.
The day Wednesday graduated, Joel proposed, with a silver ring carved in the shape of a bony thumb and forefinger pinching the diamond. The ring had been specially made by a distant member of the Addams clan suggested by Gomez. Wednesday thought that it was exquisite and beautiful in the most macabre way, and she immediately said yes.
When the newly engaged graduates returned to 1313 Cemetery Way, they discovered that all the wedding preparations had already been made. Joel's parents had declined to attend; through they sent a nice espresso machine in their place. Though he would have liked for them to be there, Joel knew that they would simply be an awkward presence at the party, and the Addams clan had more than accepted him.
Fester and Pugsley stood for Joel, while Dementia and Margaret stood beside Wednesday. Gomez sobbed as he led Wednesday down the aisle. Wearing a long black gown with hand detailed lace, Wednesday walked down the aisle towards her future husband, wearing a black suit with red trim, and of course, his little white yarmulke.
When Cousin Itt pronounced them husband and wife, Joel thought he would die of happiness. To Wednesday's mixed relief and disappointment, he survived.