-- ALL THE WORKS TO IMPRESS && [nell]

Joshua leaned against the doorframe of the room and cast a smile at his wife, observing the plants scattered around the room. It didn't not surprise him, of course, seeing as she'd always liked a lot of greenery. He'd grown used to it when he'd lived in her apartment for a while. "What if a student had an allergy?" The question was curious and he frowned thoughtfully at one of the plants, stepping forward to brush his fingertips lightly over the leaves. Allergies were a pain, especially when they got bad enough that the victim was hospitalized. People really ought to be more careful. Then again, he didn't know what it was like. He was allergy-free. Thinking deeper, he smirked. "Has it ever happened?" He was glad that their kids seemed immune to any sort of plant allergy. Maybe it was Nell's blood, which undoubtedly meant some sort of resistance, or maybe they were just lucky like he had been. Joshua watched the kids like a hawk when it came to their medical problems and he worried often, even when they were completely healthy. Part of being a father, he supposed. He wasn't quite so attached to the students at the Academy but after becoming a doctor he'd found he had a lot more compassion than he'd always given himself credit for.

A soft yet audible laugh brushed past his lips. "Traumatized? What did you do?" He was not worried, knew that it was probably something silly and harmless. Trust was still an issue with him but he trusted Nell unconditionally. She probably had something to say about that from one of her Philosophy books. Ah, well. If she was secretly a mass murderer who had seduced him and woven a careful web of lies over the years, at least he'd die relatively happy and a father to boot. "Mm. We tried that once. It was very... loud. They did get into it, though." One of the students had suggested that History was boring and Joshua had been quite determined to prove him wrong. He'd been taking the class as a part of another major but he'd certainly had fun with the next class. Joshua also tried for less conventional things as opposed to long lectures (although in some cases, like today's lesson, he understood that lectures were the way to go) because he didn't want to bore his class. He understood what it could be like to listen to three and a half hours of ramble. It would put a lot of people to sleep.

"No, I'm exaggerating," he said with a slight smile. "I've apparently built up a reputation for myself and I think a lot of them are afraid they'll fail if they miss something." His gray eyes twinkled with slight amusement as he spoke. Joshua was only as strict as he thought they could handle, though he did joke around about his classroom being a dictatorship sometimes. He knew that teachers who imposed too many boundaries and threats upon a class would be setting themselves up for bitterness and so he tried to push the students to do their best but not strive too hard. He was always willing to discuss the lessons afterwards and go over them for someone who'd missed something, rescheduling if he had somewhere to be, like today in picking up his kids. It was ironic that he'd once assumed he would be a fierce and merciless teacher. He'd had a lot of anger in his younger years, hadn't he? The thought made his lips twitch in amusement. "I'm feeling quite good myself, though. I got used to strange days and hours at the hospital, of course." Monday didn't always put him down, just sometimes. He was a morning person and he was really an any-day person provided he hadn't been kept up all night with their youngest.

He stepped out of the room so that Nell could lock up without locking him in, nodding when she mentioned the 'rugrats'. "So it is." It was hard for him to pinpoint the favourite part of his day. He loved both of his jobs, his kids, his wife. He was happy with where he was in life and he didn't think there was anything he'd change about it if he could. Except perhaps Annabel. He was still saddened by what had befallen her and he'd been incredibly frustrated with himself when he'd been unable to cure her. Science had advanced and yet something as stupid as cancer had ruined his baby sister's life? It sickened him. He tried not to think too hard on it. Joshua absent-mindedly twisted the ring on his left hand for a moment, the metal familiar under his touch. "We may need to get something for dinner; the fridge was nearly empty when I looked this morning." He had still fixed himself a snack for the road, not wanting to be distracted by hunger during the lecture. "Anything you wanted to do, while we're out? It's my day off at the hospital, so I've got time." His father still owned it and they often joked about that. It was strange working for the man, even though he'd grown up with him.

[Wow. Muse. There you are. ]

A slight twitch of his lips, a nod. Joshua accepted the fact that Nell was careful about allergies without argument, never having felt the need to doubt her much in the first place. "I figured you'd have it worked out." It was reassuring to know that she took such careful precautions. Sometimes he would joke about it but in truth, Josh actually did care about other people. It had taken years for the walls to wear down, as if sandpaper had made slow work of them, but he had a sense of compassion now. Like he'd really give a damn if one of her kids ended up in the hospital where he worked. It'd been strange at first, though he'd long since adjusted to the feeling. His almost solemn demeanour—the way he always got when he thought about hospitals and patients and other unpleasant things—vanished behind laughter when she mentioned motivational posters. He remembered the rooms of his high school classes being ringed with them and trying to focus on writing papers when creepy children smiled down at him with bright, unrealistic sayings painted above their heads. "I second that," he said. "Though I think the botany professor's got you beat. It's like a jungle in there. You Earth students astound me sometimes. I've never felt the particular urge to transform my classroom into a volcano." He flashed her a good-natured grin, though he wasn't kidding about the resident botany professor. That man had his work cut out for him at the Academy. Josh assumed that in most colleges it wasn't the most sought-after major considering its low amount of usage but in a castle full of Earth students, well, there were bound to be some takers

Joshua arched an eyebrow at his wife and then smirked, suppressing what would have been another round of laughter. He didn't know exactly what had gone on in the classroom but the implications were enough to be funny. "I love you," he stated simply, shaking his head. Though his tone suggested incredulity, the words were usually true when they came from his lips. He did love her. There had been moments of doubt when he'd worried that something would happen to shatter their engagement or end their marriage in sticky divorce but it was mostly his own paranoia creeping up on him. "When they had a fully trained medic in their company? Nah." He winked at her and left it at that. Medic, now that was a funny thought. He was a fully trained doctor with all the fancy certifications to prove it, not that any of those mattered to Josh when it all came down to it. He liked the action, the problem solving. During the breaks at the Academy he took research grants to fill in the spaces of boredom, worked on-call at the hospital. He was sure his kids would prefer that he relaxed but even though he did make a point to spend more time with them, he liked to be busy. At least he made a point to arrange his shifts to suit their schedules. "I guess it is," he said, shrugging. He didn't mind what people thought of him as long as they listened to him. "I'll be fair if you give me good reason for it." Wasn't that what he'd told them?

The idea of rationing amused him and reminded him of another history lesson he'd held a few years ago, when teaching his kids (at school—he didn't want to traumatize his own just yet!) about war and its consequences. He'd divided the class into small 'families' and given them each what was standard rations for a week. "Have fun dividing that amongst the five of you," he'd told one group cheerfully as they looked doubtful, "and don't forget that the kids have first priority." It had been his way of showing them, rather than telling them, how hard it would have been for even a civilian family in the war. When supplies were scarce, when the poor suffered from starvation. A lot of history lessons seemed to focus on the names of the commanders and the places they'd captured. That was all fine with Josh, he taught that too, but it would be boring to go by the book all the time. He already knew the books, he'd read them all when he was growing up. Nell brought him back to reality when she mentioned pizza. "Sounds good, but we'd better order more than one. If Isaac's inherited anything, it's your appetite." He poked her stomach playfully. Joshua ate around the same amount as Nell, being a six foot three male with a tendency to exert himself with work and burn energy quickly, but her appetite still never ceased to astound him. And she'd passed it onto her son, who could eat as much as his parents at half the size. It might have worried him if he wasn't so used to his wife.

Though his calm demeanour wouldn't have suggested it—except maybe to Nell, who knew him best—Joshua immediately went on high alert the moment his gray eyes took in the state of the two kids. For God's sakes, what've you done to yourselves? The thought was exasperated but he merely frowned as he unlocked the back doors of the car so that they could pile in. He let Nell have the first word, thinking it would be easier if their mother could get it out of them without argument. Unfortunately, you learned things about your kids when you had to raise them. Like when things weren't going to be that easy. He glanced into the rearview mirror and caught Trinidad's expression, then Isaac's, who looked pointedly away from his mother. There was a certain defiance in how rigid his shoulders went. "Nothing happened." Joshua could understand that 'nothing' probably meant 'nothing I want to tell my parents' but he doubted Nell was ready to accept such an answer and he wasn't either. He didn't pull out of the place where he'd parked, not wanting to lose focus when he was on the road. "That sure looks like a whole lot of nothing," he 'agreed' in exasperation, now turning to face them as Nell had and gesturing to the multitude of minor injuries. "I'll take a look at those when we get home." He wasn't offering to—if his kids were hurt, he'd be the one to make sure there wasn't any danger of infection. Just as his father had with him, although he'd try to do it with less scathing remarks about how stupid they were. He knew how much those stung, and not with a physical kind of pain. He repeated his wife's question, waited expectantly, then pressed his lips together. "Would you prefer I got the story from one of your teachers?" he asked seriously. "I'm sure they'd give me a wonderful, completely unbiased account." Isaac shifted uncomfortably at the thought of anyone tattling on him but held firm, folding his arms in defiance. "We didn't start it," was all he said, as if that mattered. Josh looked at Nell, rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to Trinidad, wondering if he'd have better sense than his brother.

Though he would admit it to no one but himself, Joshua was secretly relieved at how he'd gotten his temper under control over the years. Despite the disobedience of the two children, he felt only exasperated irritation toward them rather than any of the raw anger he'd possessed in his earlier years. When Trinidad mentioned that someone had essentially bullied him, however, then he felt a bit of that old spark return. Calm down, he coached himself, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to lose his temper. He hated the idea of anyone hurting his kids, physically or otherwise. He'd been there, he'd suffered the teasing and the taunts, he'd had the kids gang up on him. Unfortunately for Josh, he didn't have an older brother that could stick up for him. Isaac looked defiant as Joshua frowned at him, guessing at what might have occurred. With the stares of both of his parents weighing him down, even Isaac's resolve seemed to be crumbling. He seemed almost worried, like he thought they'd get him into trouble if he admitted it. "Erik deserved it!" he insisted, thumping a closed fist against his thigh as if words weren't enough to express this. Joshua inhaled carefully, though to be honest he wasn't sure who he was more upset with—Isaac, or the little shit that had bullied his other son. Knowing that he needed to think like a parent and reprimand violence rather than encourage it, he said slowly, "What did you do, Isaac? Be honest with me." However, Isaac didn't look like he planned on saying. Deciding it was time to show just how serious he was, Joshua made to open the car door and step outside, having every intention of heading up to the office and inquiring about the confrontation.

"Wait, wait!"

He paused with his hand still on the door, glancing back at his son and doing his best to conceal any hint of triumph. Though Donovan had always been able to extract an answer out of Josh without resorting to trickery, Patricia had taught him all of the sneaky tricks that he now used to make his own children behave. It satisfied him that raising a kid could be done without the violence that both he and Nell had suffered, albeit a lot worse on Nell's end. We're not our parents. "I don't have much time, Isaac, I'm sure the teachers won't wait around all day." This seemed to be the last incentive that Isaac needed, crossing his arms and huffing in disappointment at his defeat. "I punched him" he said, not meeting the gaze of either parent but instead choosing to look out the window to where the other cars were slowly filtering out of the parking area. Josh was still determined not to leave until they got an account out of the kids, so that he had the option of going up to the school if need be. "I doubt that solved anything," said Joshua disapprovingly. "You're lucky that you weren't suspended." He worried about Isaac with his temper, remembering how he himself had been expelled in childhood for violence. He hoped that he and his wife could prevent anything of that severity. "Got detention," he muttered. "It's not fair!" he burst out suddenly, before Josh could even think of replying. "Trinidad didn't even do anything!"

Joshua was not entirely sure how to handle this situation. On one hand, he felt for both of his sons. He knew from personal experience that telling a teacher about bullying did not always end in a resolved conflict. In fact, it usually made things worse, for you were labelled a rat and they'd come after you in a group the next time. On the other, he didn't want to encourage violence. God damn it, he thought, frustrated. Suppressing a sigh, he said, "They had every right to give you detention, Isaac. What did they do to Erik?" It was at this point that Isaac seemed to come to life again, rising to the bait and turning his attention back to his parents. "He got detention, too, but that's it!" he said loudly. "He said I started it and I didn't!" While it could be argued that Isaac had likely thrown the first punch, Josh actually believed him this time. Erik had been the one to go after Trinidad, after all. "We'll discuss what to do about this when we get home," he said, giving Nell a look that meant he wanted to talk it out with her. He was usually comfortable with taking initiative and doing what he felt was right but at the moment the lines seemed much too thin for his liking. At least satisfied that they'd both told the truth, he pulled out of the parking lot and made the rest of the drive home. "We're having pizza tonight," he informed the pair, embracing Annabel when she emerged from upstairs. "How is she?" he wondered, asking after his daughter. "Asleep," Annabel replied, then went to check on something else. When he and Nell were finally alone, he hesitated only briefly before getting to the point. "I know what it's like," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Being ganged up on, I mean. I didn't want to take sides before talking to you about it." It was always hard to watch your kids go something you'd suffered yourself but it was even more difficult when you were expected to punish them for it.

Understanding that relationships and parenting both required a team effort, Joshua both listened to and carefully considered his wife's standpoint on the issue with Isaac. A frown tugged his lips when she mentioned the punishment. He could not help the instinct, that feeling he'd always gotten when he was punished for doing something that to him had felt alright at the time. But it wasn't, and it's not. You'll only encourage Isaac if you do nothing. The years had done well for his sense of reasoning and had soothed the temper that would once have prevented him from saying a word against his son. The frown cleared and he nodded. "I think you're right," he agreed. "I don't want him to think that protecting Trinidad is wrong, but we can't have either of them getting into fights." He knew what it was like to be getting into constant trouble with the school and with one's parents, he'd lived it. He also knew it wasn't the path he wanted his sons (or his daughter, though she was not yet at the age) to take. He felt a slight pang of guilt in knowing that he'd passed his temper onto his oldest son but he hoped that a strict hand—not an abusive one, as had happened with Donovan—would be enough to keep him in line. He caressed Nell's cheek in a hand and brushed his lips against hers. "Thanks, Nell," he said softly, earnestly. "It's difficult sometimes, knowing how it feels. I want a better life for our kids." He was not unhappy with his life but it was not a reason to withhold on trying to improve the next generation. He was sure Nell had things she was trying to improve upon, too. Hell, her entire childhood was a perfect example. He was glad his had been at least relatively normal.

"Isaac!" he called, and though his voice was raised so that it could be heard in the nearby rooms, he did not sound angry. Josh did not desire to strike terror into his kids. He knew that it would lead to resentment as Isaac got older because he still harboured a very slight bitterness toward Donovan for his mistreatment in youth. Nevertheless, Isaac looked wary as he appeared in the doorway, like he knew that it was going to get into trouble. As he should, acknowledged Josh, because it would make them bad parents if they put off the punishment. "Your mother and I have come to a decision," he said, and he allowed Nell the chance to explain it to him. Of course, this did not sit well with Isaac. No kid liked being punished, no matter how old or what their crime was. "That's no—" Josh cut him off with a simple, "It's perfectly fair, Isaac. You're lucky it wasn't anything worse." He held his son's glare for a moment before his gaze softened and he reached out to ruffle his hair a bit. "Look, I appreciate that you were trying to protect your brother. Next time, though, I want you to go to a teacher. Then they'll break it up and you won't be in any trouble." He didn't want his kids to earn a reputation as the bad kids in the neighbourhood. Josh had cultivated his own reputation with the locals carefully and he was well-liked in the Hollow. He didn't want his kids to ruin their own. "Defend him if you have to, Isaac, but don't hit back. It'll only make it worse." Isaac still looked unhappy and Josh felt a little bad, but he held his stance because he knew that what Nell'd said was right.

He bent down and hugged him, the surge of protective instinct spurring him on. This was his son, his flesh and blood. Pride and joy. Joshua had always wanted kids—it was something he'd known when he was only a kid himself. Well, alright, maybe more into his teenage years, but it was a certainty. Now, when he had them, he knew why. He was protective of Nell, of Annabel, of all his friends, but there was no one he felt more of a driving instinct to shield than his three kids. If he was capable of murder, it would be because someone hurt them. He let Isaac go back to hanging out with his brother and doing whatever it was they'd been up to before, turning his own attention back to Nell. "What'll we tell the school?" he wondered. "I know they've got a strict policy against violence—I went there as a kid, they nearly kicked me out for it. Do you think we should gun for an expulsion or let them make their own decisions?" Josh was confident that they could request severe action be taken, given the physicality of Trinidad's injuries and the fact that the school's policy was so strict. A lot of it would depend on Erik Orton and his record. It was Isaac's first offence (to Josh's knowledge) and so if he could, he was certainly going to protect his own kid from being kicked out of school. But he wasn't sure he wanted a little shit like Orton hurting his son(s) ever again. "I don't want this happening again, whatever the case." Heck, he'd go right to the Ortons' door and tell off the parents if he had to. These were his kids. You didn't fuck with that.