“Shut up,” Kurt snapped, massaging his temples.  It had been a long day even before the call had come from school.  “When we get home, we are going to have a proper talk about your conduct.”

Penny snorted, crossed her arms under her breasts and stared out the window, sulking in a pose that was as old as humanity itself.  Kurt glared at her, wondering just when his sweet little daughter had become a monster, then turned his attention back to the road.  If his wife hadn't thought that Polly – and her brother Percy – deserved an expensive education, they wouldn't be forced into pointless classes ... and he wouldn't have to work such long hours just to keep them in school.  He loved his children, really he did, but he wasn't in the mood to put up with an argument.

She didn't say a word until he finally pulled up outside the house, whereupon she jumped out of the car and flounced inside, no doubt hoping to get her side of the story over to her mother first.  Kurt sighed, closing his eyes for a long moment of rest, then opened the door and climbed out of the car.  Inside, he could already hear Molly shouting at her daughter.  His wife didn't sound pleased at all.  She’d yell at Penny ... and then, Kurt knew, she’d yell at him.  It was funny how his daughter became his sole responsibility whenever she was in trouble.

Sighing, he walked up the garden path and into the house.  Molly stood in the kitchen, her hands on her hips, glaring menacingly at Penny, who was shouting back at her.  It struck Kurt, not for the first time, that Penny was very much a younger version of her mother, complete with blonde hair and a powerful pair of lungs.  Kurt sighed again, then blinked in surprise as Molly marched over to him and shoved a piece of paper into his hand.  It was a printout of a email, he realised, as he unfolded it and read quickly.  And it was calling him back to duty.

“You are grounded for the next two weeks,” Molly snarled at Penny.  “Go to your room and stay there!”

Penny didn't go quietly.  Kurt heard her stamping up the stairs, then slamming the door to her bedroom hard enough to shake the house.  He ignored it with the ease of long practice as he reread the sheet of paper.  The Royal Navy wanted him back in the service, as soon as possible.

“Well?”  Molly demanded.  “What’s all this about?”

Kurt gritted his teeth, again.  His head was already pounding and her razor-sharp words were cutting through what remained of his composure.  The message didn't leave any room for evasion, he realised dully.  He was ordered to report to the nearest naval base at once or face the consequences.  And those consequences could be quite serious.