The Files of the Big Damn Principal

John may have fallen into old bad habits of not checking home as often as he maybe should've, but in his defense he knew his boys were getting to an age where they could definitely handle themselves and Zoe probably could even stop a tornado by her glare and a stern talking to if she ever needed to.

But he did miss them and when he did find himself with a spare moment when he wasn't hard at work tracking down demon leads, he hit speed dial one on his phone.

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Zoe heard her cell phone ring from where she'd stashed it in her desk, and it was a welcome distraction from alphabetizing student files. She pulled open the drawer and fished her phone out, smiling when she saw the caller ID. "Hello there, handsome," she said.

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John couldn't help but smile when he heard her voice. "Hi yourself. Island still in one piece?"

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"Amazingly enough. Are you still in one piece?" Zoe asked.

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"Amazingly enough," John replied, still smiling. "Boys aren't driving you crazy?"

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"No, they've been on good behavior. They miss you though," Zoe said. The fact that she missed him as much as they did combined might be able to go unspoken.

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Since it was probably equal to how much John missed her, it probably could go unspoken. "Grace still growing like a weed?"

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"Like crazy. She'll be able to tell you all the new swear words I've taught her. Oh, and you'll have to meet her boyfriend too."

Sure, Zoe understood that hunting was important, but that didn't mean she didn't get to be a little mean, what with him leaving and all.

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John blinked. "Boyfriend?" he echoed.

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"Yes, another little Skywalker showed up. She seems to have a thing for them," Zoe said, trying very hard not to laugh.

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"She's two," John felt the need to point out.

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Zoe tried to keep her composure, but she just couldn't. "Nearly three!" she managed to say before laughing. "Relax, there aren't any boys threatening her purity. We're all fine."

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"Good. I don't need to come home and idly clean all my guns in front of said non-existent boy then," John said. Then paused. "Though I suspect if there said boy had existed Dean may have already done that."

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"I'm sure he would. He's been really helpful around the house." There was a fleeting thought about how Dean was probably used to being the man of the house while John was gone, but she wasn't going to say that. There was no need to bring something like that up. "How are things going? With the hunt and all?"

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"I seem to be onto something, but I can't quite figure out what," John said, a little of his frustration creeping into his voice. "Every demon I catch up to is being annoyingly closed mouth."

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"And you can't get their mouths open?" Zoe said. There had to be tactics for that sort of thing.

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"I can, but too often it's just so they can scream or belch black smoke," John said with a sigh. "But, I'm on the right track. I can feel it. It's just going to take some time and patience."

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Zoe sighed softly, even though she trusted John to be right about how much time it might take. "I've got patience, if you promise me you'll still be as safe as you can be," she said.

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Cindy tapped on Zoe's door. Not that her plans had been finalized, it was probably best to inform the school of them. Especially if she wanted to come back and teach in the fall...which, surprisingly enough, Cindy found that she did--and not just because her assignment was over.

She was still living under cover, but it had taken this trip to Fandom to see just how much she had outgrown (and now resented) the silly, shallow persona she had back in Fabletown.

All of which was interesting for her, of course, but not at all relevant now. "Excuse me, Ms. Winchester? It's Cindy Perrault. Can I come in?"

She could save the introspection for later.

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Zoe looked up from her slightly smaller stack of papers - at least it wasn't multiplying like usual - and smiled at Cindy. "Sure, come on in. What brings you by?"

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Cindy returned her smile and came in, handing over a stray form from the chair in front of Zoe's desk before sitting down. "I'm not entirely sure if there's a proper format for doing this," she said, "but I need to take a leave of absence for the next summer term. I'll definitely be back by the start of the fall semester, but I've been called away for the next few weeks."

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"Not for anything bad, I hope?" Zoe said. "Telling me is about all the necessary protocol we have. Quite a few people go home for the summer, or for just part of it."

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"A friend of mine is getting divorced," Cindy explained. "But she'd getting divorced in Paris, so it's not going to be an entirely dismal experience. But I'll be staying with her for a few weeks until the paperwork is taken care of and things are mostly wrapped up."

She paused and added, "So this won't be an issue for coming back to teach in the fall?"

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"No, it's fine. Before the fall semester starts, you'll have to let us know if you're coming back, and what you plan on teaching," Zoe said. "But you're more than welcome to go and support your friend."

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"Oh, I'll be back," Cindy assured her. "Hopefully long before the semester starts, even."

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