Amalgamate

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"He's stubborn," said the principal.

"He may have gotten that from me," Kara admitted, a slight flush crossing her face, much to Danny's amusement. People tended to think of Kara as the even-keeled one while he was the live wire. And that was true, for the most part. Kara was definitely the more reasonable. But when she got a bee in her bonnet over something, there was no changing her mind.

"We like to think of it as determination," Danny interjected. After all a little girl growing up with a single mom in Kansas didn't grow up to become a commander in the United States Navy without developing a pretty strong backbone. Frankie definitely inherited that from his mama.

"Destructive," the woman in front of them continued, ticking off a second finger.

This time Danny was the one to shift in his seat. "I come from a family of engineers. We like to know how things work."

Kara reached over to touch Danny's hand. "I wouldn't say that he's destructive so much as curious. He doesn't take things apart with the intention of ruining them. He just didn't realize how difficult it would be to put the typewriter back together."

"And the radio, the pump for the school's fish tank, the leaf blower…."

"We did pay for the leaf blower," Danny pointed out, not needing to hear an entire list of the things that Frankie had disassembled. Between school and home, the kid had blown through his college tuition already. "And Commander Garnett showed him how to put the radio back together."

Neither Danny nor Kara admitted that it was at least the third radio that Frankie had taken apart, his fascination with electronics starting at a particularly young age.

"Rebellious. And argumentative." The woman's third and fourth fingers were ticked.

At this one Kara threw Danny a look that was a little less amused. Frankie's refusal to follow rules that he found stupid was definitely one of the areas where their parenting styles clashed. Danny straightened. "We've spoken to Frankie about the school's rules and the importance of following them."

"Oh yes," Mrs. Adamson replied, her voice cool. "Frankie certainly knows the rules. He follows them to the letter. For example, the rule about not leaving class without the teacher's permission. Last week Mrs. Burk caught him climbing out a window. When asked what he was doing, Frankie explained that his hand was still in the classroom and since the rule didn't specify whether his entire body had to be inside the room or not, he was in compliance."

Danny bit down hard on his lip to prevent himself from laughing, suspecting that the woman before him would not appreciate his humor. This time there was no misunderstanding the look that Kara gave him, the one that conveyed irritation, exasperation, and a hint of told-you-so. After all, wasn't one of Danny's favorite sayings that you had to know the rules in order to figure out the best way to get around them? His blasé attitude was bound to rub off on the kids at some point, something Kara regularly pointed out. Of course, what did she expect? Why wouldn't the child conceived in violation of every rule grow up to break them? Besides, while Kara wasn't much of a rule breaker before they met, he hadn't exactly twisted her arm up there in the Arctic. There was definitely a wild streak hidden under that serious mien.

"I'll speak to him about the importance of classroom safety, including not climbing out windows," Danny said in what he hoped was an appropriately solemn tone. Given the principal's glower, he suspected he had not succeeded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Green, I'm not sure that you're appreciating the severity of the situation. Your son hit another child."

"In defense of his friend," Kara pointed out immediately. "That boy said some very inappropriate things about Ms. Granderson and Ms. Raymond."

"I am aware. Which is the reason why Frankie hasn't been suspended," the principal acknowledged. "We all understand his motivations. But violence is never the answer. Frankie needs to think before he acts."

Danny wondered how the woman before them could say that with a straight face given he and Kara's respective profession. Violence was, in fact, often the answer in their jobs, although Danny could recognize that it might not translate well to an elementary school.

The silence lasted a moment too long before Kara spoke. "We know that Frankie can be impulsive."

"Spontaneous," Danny corrected, earning himself a look from both women.

Kara continued as though he hadn't spoken. "That's the reason that we signed Frankie up for martial arts training."

With Wolf, who had all but given Frankie a high-five upon hearing about how he handled the situation concerning Val and Alisha's seven-year-old daughter. Not exactly something to share with either Kara or Mrs. Adamson.

"Frankie is an incredibly smart little boy," the principal said with a sigh, not bothering to tick off another finger and Danny straightened, feeling that they were finally getting to the real reason for this meeting. "He knows better. He knew that the correct thing to do was to tell a teacher, but he chose to hit another student, and the fact of the matter is, he isn't sorry. He's convinced that he did the right thing and acted as though he were a martyr. In fact, during detention this afternoon he compared himself to Mandela."

Ah yes, that was the root of the problem. Because the principal was correct. Frankie had a strong sense of morality, one which didn't always line up with the school's - or his parents' - rules, and nothing that the principal or Danny or Kara or anyone else said was going to convince Frankie that what he did was wrong.

Still, Mandela? Danny's body shook with silent laughter.

"We will be certain to talk to him about his behavior," Kara said finally, kicking Danny's leg. "Regarding Madela, we've been reading biographies of leaders at home. Perhaps some of the lessons haven't come through clearly."

Danny had forgotten that Kara was doing that, deciding that the kids were old enough to mix in some non-fiction with the typical kids' books that Danny recalled from his own childhood. Well, there wasn't much question where Frankie got his IQ from.

The principal's eyes narrowed. "How do you handle situations like this at home?"

The silence stretched as both Danny and Kara considered how to answer. Because the truth was, they didn't have any more idea of how to handle Frankie than the school. The principal wasn't wrong about a single thing that she said. Frankie was stubborn. He was rebellious. He was argumentative. And he loved taking things apart and wasn't so good at putting them back together. But he was also happy, kind, thoughtful, and the first to offer to help his friends or younger siblings when they needed something.

When Kara remained silent, Danny racked his brain for something to say. "You know how some kids are funny looking when they're little, because they need to grow into their looks? Frankie is kind of like that. He's got this big personality. He just needs a little more time to grow into it."

The principal sat back, eyebrows lifting, before nodding at him in a serious manner. "That is a very perceptive comment, Mr. Green."

After a quick round of goodbyes, Danny and Kara retreated to their SUV. Once they were safely inside, Kara gave him a sideways glance, her teeth nibbling on her lips in a way that had him thinking about things that couldn't - or, at least, shouldn't - happen in the school parking lot. She waited until they were halfway home to speak. "The big personality thing. Isn't that what Tex said when Frankie glued all those dinosaurs on top of the drone right before Captain Slattery came by for a demonstration?"

That day had sucked. There was no good way to explain to your boss that your kid had ruined a rather expensive piece of military equipment. Fortunately, Mike, like most of the crew, had a soft spot for Frankie. "Maybe."

"You going to tell him what Mrs. Adamson said?"

The reply was instant. "Hell no. The man has a big enough head already. Last thing I want to do is encourage him."

Kara's head turned towards the window. "And you wonder where Frankie gets it from."

Pulling into the driveway before the dark house, Danny quickly figured out how much time they had before Debbie returned with the kids. Calculation complete, Danny decided, for the sake of marital unity, to pretend that he hadn't heard anything.

He made it to the other side of the SUV just as Kara was exiting. She looked up at him. "Mom said she would feed the kids so what do you want for..."

Not waiting for Kara to finish, Danny pinned her against the side of the vehicle, leaning in to stop her words with his lips. Several minutes later, once he was sure that Kara was no longer thinking about dinner, he raised his head, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the porch. "I have a better idea."

Behind him Kara laughed. "Fine. But lock the door. We're cutting it close and I don't want my mom walking in on us again."

Kicking the door closed and snapping the lock, Danny followed his wife up the stairs.

After all, Mrs. Adamson might deem impulsiveness as a less-than-desirable trait, but it could also mean a hell of a lot of fun.