"Alex, I've been thinking -- "

"There are laws against that."

"Is it really necessary to go tonight?"

"Now you're staring to sound like CT.  For some reason she's terrified of this Parent/Teacher night.  How do you figure that?"

Ham Tyler emerged from the bathroom, towelling dry what was left of his hair these days, and gave a shrug as Alex entered the bedroom.  The vet stared at her husband in dismay.

"Ham, for Christ sake, we're supposed to BE there at 7."

"Seattle won't fall into the sea if we're not."

"I hate being late."

"Now who's starting to sound like CT?"

Alex grinned.  CT had developed a tendency to announce things suddenly tot he world, usually in emphatic tones which suggested that whatever she was announcing was the first and last word on the subject.  When Tyler had compared Mother and daughter on that score, Alex hadn't stopped hearing about it in weeks.

"Get your pants on," she advised, "or you're in danger of not getting them on at all."

"Promises, promises," and he pulled on a pair of worn Levis.  Over that went a navy blue T-shirt, but Alex snatched the leather jacket away from the end of the bed.

"Uh uh.  This time I want you to make a good impression.  Hell, I'd settle for a normal, boring impression."

"Alex, it's only a jacket."  He made a grab for it, but Alex held it deftly out of the way.

"A jacket, yes, but this one has an in-built shoulder holster.  You know how well that went down last time, especially when you got twitchy and pulled it on the Vice-Principal.  Poor CT had to wear that one for weeks."

"So I made a little mistake..."

"You call dive-tackling a school official, pinning him to a wall and yelling 'freeze or you're dead meat' a little mistake???"

"Okay, so I was a little tense."  He made another grab for the jacket.  "I'll be good this time."

"Uh uh.  Pullover."

Tyler considered repeating that successful dive and tackle play, but rejected it as (a) being too much fun and therefore (b) they may not make it to the parent/teacher night at all, and there was the possibility that (c) Alex might beat him up.

With a sigh, he opened a drawer and dragged on the jumper Jeremi Lowell had given him for Christmas the year before.  Alex smothered a giggle as Tyler stood with a grave 'is this all right?' question on his face.  Jeremi was wonderfully well-intentioned, but, as evidenced by the heavy metal motif proclaiming "Black Sabbath -- spit blood", had not really come to grips with Tyler's personality, even after seven years in Alex's practice.  It was, however, a creditable attempt, and it gave Alex an insight into how other people must view Ham Tyler.

She grinned and shook her head.  "You look ravishing, dear, and you have made your point.  I'll settle for the jacket if you leave the gun at home.  It shouldn't require surgery."
 
 

As CT fretted and as David read a Golden Book of "Bambi", Alex and Ham advanced on their children's place of education with something approaching grim determination.

"What now?" Tyler asked as they stood at the entrance to the school gymnasium and out over a sea of faces and bodies.  Alex sighed.

"Well, let's get this over with.  We'll start at the top."

"Not..."

"Yes, the Vice Principal."

Before they had taken a dozen steps, however, they were intercepted by a friendly looking young woman of about 25 who didn't seem to hold the same air of uncertainly about them as the other teachers (Alex was sure that one bestial growl from Tyler would be enough to send them scuttling, but she couldn't convince him to try it).

"Hi, I'm Susan Lancaster -- David's teacher.  You are the Tylers, aren't you?"

"How'd you now?" Alex asked, nodding.

"Let's just say you stand out in a crowd, and I've had a lot of descriptions from David.  He told me that you would cure the common kitty cold some day, Dr. Bailey, and he specifically requested that I not make you... twitchy, Mr. Tyler."  Up until that moment, Alex had held the teacher's gaze, but when she made eye contact with Tyler, Alex knew that something had clicked.  Susan Lancaster gave a belated smile.  "I couldn't very well miss you from a description like that."

Alex grinned, and Tyler nodded non-committally.  Susan led them to an undersized desk and sat them down, giving her dark wavy shoulder length hair a push out of the way as she did.  She was an attractive woman, with expressive dark brown eyes and a set to her jaw that suggested character, someone who could appreciate more than just the norm, and who was certainly wiser than her 25 years.  Alex warmed to her immediately.

"So, how's David doing?" she asked.

"That boy is as sharp as a tack, Dr. Bailey -- "

"Alex, please."

"Sure.  And learn!  He's like a sponge when it comes to books.  I think he's gone through every picture book in the school's library, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could read a fair bit of them too."

About that point, Alex started to relax.  This was a new experience for her and she wanted to enjoy it.

"I am pleased," she said with feeling.

They talked comfortably at length about David's scholastic ability and general all-round saintliness, most of which Alex knew to be a very clever snow job, but didn't mind in the least at this point since she was no longer being made to feel guilty over the conduct of her child or given those penetrating looks that clearly said she had let her child drag herself up and run wild (which, actually, was reasonably true).   Even Tyler was putting in the odd comment when it was required, and Alex started feeling like a normal parent for the first time since CT had been unable to talk.

"Oh," Susan dropped in casually, "and did CT tell you that I take her for PT these days?"

"Er, you do?" Alex ventured cautiously.

"Yes, she's quite a marvellous athlete, and participates in almost every sport during the period.  Of course, she does talk about firearms and other weapons quite a bit, but I expect that's natural with a job like yours, Mr. Tyler."

Tyler gave her one of his most dazzling smiles.  "Please, call me Ham."

Alex did a double take, then gave Ms. Lancaster a shrewd appraisal.  Sure enough, she was blushing, and seemed totally flustered by Tyler's sudden charm.  When it became obvious that she had lost her train of thought, Tyler came to her rescue.

"Are there any... problems we should know about?"

"Er, no, not from me," the teacher said.  "I mean... "

"I think we know what you mean," he smiled.

"Yes, well, some of the teachers can be a little... conservative in their attitudes, not that that's bad, but...  you know, I've wanted to meet you two ever since I came to this school and met your kids.  They're so... so... "

"Different?" Alex put in dryly.

"That's not the half of it!" Susan grinned, then added simply, "I like them, especially CT.  She's got guts."

Susan Lancaster couldn't have said anything better to endear her to this father's heart, and Alex knew it.  She watched Tyler puff up with pride, and clear his throat, preparatory to a speech.  She stood up.

"Well, that's great to hear.  Thanks Susan, we'll be sure to catch you at the next parent/teacher night."

"Think about joining the local PTA," Susan's voice floated after them.

"I bet she'd just love that," Alex muttered, holding firmly onto Tyler's arm as she steered him across the room.  Tyler looked down at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Alex, I do believe you're jealous."

Alex made to deny it, then stopped.  "Huh, you're right, I think I am," she agreed after a moment's self assessment.  "Funny, I don't think I've ever had anything to be jealous of up until now.  You scare most women witless."

With that, she tucked the arm she had been holding onto so possessively under hers and relaxed.  Tyler chuckled and kissed her on the top of the head.

The rest of the night passed in the manner Alex had been dreading, but somehow, when it came to the crunch, she didn't let it worry her that most of the teachers thought CT was an unruly monster.  That, as she was fond of saying, was their problem.  What Alex hated most about these affairs was that the teachers' polite comments were totally at odds with what they thought, and anyone with 2 centimetres of cerebral cortex could see that.  If they'd only come out and say, "I think your child is a savage little brat, and you are an appalling figure as a parent", well, then she could come right out and flatten them, and everyone would know where they stood.  Or lay.

She gave a thankful sigh as they emerged into the cool night air.

"I don't know what CT was worried about.  I think she's doing great at school."  She met Tyler's sceptical gaze.  "Well, she's no scholastic genius, but she gets consistent B's, and I think that's only because they take a hard line on her."

"I'm not disagreeing," he said when she looked to him for comment.  "I agree, in fact.  They're good kids."  Said with pride.

"Yeah."  Alex remembered the scolding she'd delivered only last week regarding CT's scrapping in the school yard with a boy 2 years her senior, and all on David's account.  Thinking even further back, she couldn't recall a time when there hadn't been a damned good reason for each fight she'd been in, and suddenly she was filled with pride.  She puffed out her own chest and walked a little taller.  "Yeah," she breathed.