Shouldn't Be Here [Markus?/Open]

[Jared Martins]

Jared wasn’t supposed to be here. He was still under orders to stay home and get some rest. The heart attack had been a startling wake up call for everyone that the owner wasn’t going to be around forever. Markus had taken over the majority of the work around the school now, but that didn’t calm Jared’s worry about his son taking control over the facility. It wasn’t just a horse rescue site, but also a place for teenagers that needed more attention or help than anyone else could provide. The combination of a horse and student helping each other seemed to work the majority of the time. The theory wasn’t flawless but Jared was willing to stake his life on it.

Walking into the main building of Willow Brooke, he pushed open the door and walked past his secretary after giving her a warm smile and wave. The woman’s mouth hung open at the sight of the boss who should have been at home in bed. If Jared knew his workers, he’d bet she’d sent out a call to Markus to tell him that his dad was going into his office without an ‘ok’ from the doctor. But that was fine, he had been working through this for far too long and could get through quite a few files and papers before his son rained fire down on his head. It anything, he just wanted to make sure Markus wasn’t drowning in the papers that Jared had sucked up and waded through all these years.

Stepping into his office, Jared walked behind the desk and took a seat at the old leather chair. Reaching across the desk, he pulled out the bills that needed to be paid and sorted through the ones that were immediate and the ones that could wait another week. Those were the easy things to get through as he quickly filed the papers away after sealing the checks in their envelopes and giving them to his secretary for her to mail out when she left the office. The woman still looked in shock about seeing Jared up and walking. What was he suppose to do? Lay around his house for the next few weeks? He was already going insane at the cabin and the ride with Storm had helped but he needed to come in and check out the place.

Sitting back down, he grabbed the court service files and glanced through them. He cursed under his breath seeing how many there were that he needed to sit in on for possible students to come in to Willow Brooke. Or ones that he needed to make a statement about a past student who weren’t the same as they were when they first came to the school. Why hadn’t Markus told him? His health was one thing but a lot of those students could only come to the school if he sat in and made a statement before the judge about being responsible for whatever they did or didn’t do at the camp. “Damnit, Kid.”

[Markus Martins]

Mark was pulling into the school after going to pick up the new puppy and some equipment he put in an order for a few days ago. That's right. He got a new puppy. Fleur was going to no only serve as a playmate for Dippy while Mark and Jared were away, but she was going to serve as a distraction to keep Jared away from the office. Mark didn't mind him out riding around on Storm. That was a relaxing activity for Jared as well as Mark. The office work and other work that came along with the job. He glanced to his phone and saw it was the office. He frowned and answered it as he pulled into the driveway.

It was Margret, Jared's (and now Mark's) secretary. And what did Margret have to say? That Jared was trying to sneak into the office. Mark gave a curt thanks and ended the call. He pulled into the office parking lot and looked to Fleur, who had been curled up in the passenger seat of Mark's old Chevy, but now she was awake, and looking at her with those big, cute eyes. One of them was blue and the other brown. She was the only pup in the litter like that, and Mark instantly fell in love. Why name her Fleur though? She had a little spot on her right shoulder that looked sorta like a flower. "He just can't help it." He remarked tot he puppy in exasperation. The little Dalmatian pup gave a little yip and jumped up, placing her front paws on Mark's thigh.

"Come on, pretty girl. Time for you to meet the rest of the family." He said as he picked up the puppy and tucked her into his arm as he climbed out. He looked to the stable hands as they started to unload the equipment. Mark gave them a few orders and then went through the front entrance of the office. He gave the office workers a little nod and then went to his office. He didn't even bother knocking. He stepped into the room and closed the door, looking at his dad. "You're not supposed to be here." He remarked as he set Fleur down and she scampered over to Jared to check him out.

[Jared Martins]

Drumming his fingers on the desk, Jared stared at the door as he heard the front door open and closed. He just knew it was Markus after a quick look outside told him his son’s car was parked in it’s usual spot with some stable hands grabbing the supplies they’d ordered last week or so. This wasn’t going to be pretty but they needed to talk about him holding out on the court dates from him. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, he was in perfect health and could go to the court house whenever a possible student or past student needed him to speak on their behalf. There wasn’t anything going to change that until he was six feet under the ground. Until then, he wasn’t going to change that aspect of his life while his son was still getting use to his new chores around the camp.

The moment Markus stepped into the office; he leaned back on the chair and crossed his arms over his chest, forcing his shirt to stretch over his muscles. For an old guy, Jared knew it was best to keep in shape when dealing with horses then be a small guy and get trampled on, a lesson he had learned at a young age. That day had been a very close call even for someone that knew horses in and out. It was a stark reminder to the old guy never to think you know a horse or person because they’d always surprise you in the end. “Don’t give me that tone, Markus Jeremiah Martins.” His hand reached out and slapped the files for the courts while giving his son a very dark glare. This wasn’t a joking matter, this was the reason he’d started the camp and reached out to as many students as Willow Brookes could hold. “Why didn’t you tell me about these? And don’t tell me it has to do with my health otherwise Imma bend you over my knee like I use to do to ya as child.” The owner of Willow Brooke was getting old but not that old to the point of not being able to take down his son if the time called for it.

In the middle of glaring at Markus, something began to tug and pull at Jared’s pants leg forcing him to look down. “You watching someone’s puppy for them?” The little dalmantion was pouncing on his shoe, chewing at his laces causing the man who’d only moments before glaring to grin and smile at the dog. The puppy was pretty cute and her eyes were very startling because of the two different colors of blue and brown. Reaching down, his hand gently petted the pup’s head hoping to distract her from causing anymore damage to his already worn out boots. He was hoping to not have to get some new ones for a little while longer. “Just don’t tell me you brought another one home.” Dippy was more than plenty of company for Jared and the dog seemed to prefer Markus and that was perfectly fine by him. He loved animals and dogs and knew that a lot of them liked him while the others liked his son just a little more.

[Markus Martins]

Mark frowned as Jared's tone hardened. He watched as Mark slapped his hands over some files on the desk. The court dates. Mark stared at them for a moment before he looked back up to Jared, assuming a similar stance as his father. "I didn't tell you, Dad, because I was planning on taking care of them. I was going to take Larry with me to help me out a little." He wondered if he dad could actually make good on his threat. Mark wasn't a little boy anymore, and he could most certainly hold his own now that he was older and just as big as Jared. Needless to say, Jared might actually manage to get Markus bent over his knees, but it would be a hell of a fight.

He looked down when Jared did and smirked when he saw Fleur playing with Jared's boot laces. He relaxed a little as Jared smiled and pet the puppy. Fleur sniffed at the large hand before she happily licked at it in a friendly manner. Mark smiled as he watched the puppy and Jared. Dippy was nice company for Jared, but he was more of Mark's dog than Jared's. Mark was hoping that maybe Fleur would be Jared's dog. She seemed like a sweet heart. And she certainly was enjoying Jared. Her little tail was just flailing about happily. "Nope... not dog sitting." He studied his dad for a moment before he shifted. "I named her Fleur." He said informatively as he watched the puppy. Fleur was enjoying all the odd smells that came from Jared. Similar smells as Mark, but it was still exciting for her to explore the smells. Most of it was horse related. Mark grinned at the puppy as she stood up on her hind legs and leaned against Jared's leg. "She likes you." He commented with a playful grin.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy was excited, she was planning on going to see Mark. Of course, she had only a few minutes to surprise him. She wanted to surprise him, maybe relieve a little bit of stress from him. She thought even if the visit was only a few minutes before her class or so, she had ten minutes to see him, but it would still maybe brighten his day a little. She just wanted to see his smile. Ever since their date, she couldn’t help herself. He was amazing and she wished she could see him every day but there were days where she got caught up after work then just wanted to sleep. So she was taking advantage of her free passing time where she usually spends tacking up Justice or some other horses, today though, that was actually what she was getting the kids to do. This bunch had some newer kids in it and so they were all going to practice tacking up the horses. That made Lucy free for ten minutes.

She stepped into the office buildings and ran past the secretary that tried to talk to her. Lucy was on a time schedule. She opened the door and saw Mark and smiled. ”Mark!” she practically yelled as she walked toward him, well more like ran. She went to wrap her arms around him when she saw Jared out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes opened big and her face lit up with embarrassment. She felt like she had the word moron written across her face and instantly backed up away from the two men. She didn’t like the fact she was out numbered, even though she pretty much trusted both of them. Jared had something about him that set Lucy uneasy. She glanced down and saw the puppy, Mark had gotten a puppy. Although she wanted to go and pet the puppy and rub it’s head, she couldn’t. She just looked at the two men.

”I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was interrupting something.” She told them before turning and leaving for the door. What an idiot, from now on she was definitely going to knock before she entered the room. She didn’t want to interrupt Mark when he could be with somebody. He could have been sitting in here with a student and she could have barged in. She felt like an idiot and once again, felt like she needed her head to be slammed into a wall.

[Jared Martins]

Jared’s mouth tightened as Markus gave the excuse of doing it himself and having Larry help him. His lawyer…well that guy was just as tightly wound as himself. His daughter had been put through the school’s system and he now believed he owed Jared the favor of working for him. The guy didn’t owe Jared nothing. Hell, his rates were outrageous and thankfully the guy lowered them in part of the favor. His fingers drummed on top of the files before he picked the top one up and flipped through it. “Larry…hm?” It still annoyed him that everything he was use to doing was being turned over to his son until some doctor said it was all good, even thin Jared wasn’t stupid. He knew his son would want him to take more time off and work less to prevent another attack.

Arching an eyebrow at Markus, Jared’s hand paused over the pup’s head. “If you’re not dog sitting when why do you have a puppy?” He didn’t want the answer, because he already knew what it was. His son had gotten another dog, likely to distract him from coming in to work such as right now. “Fleur?” Trying out the name, the puppy yapped as if saying that was her name. A smile crept back on his face while the puppy licked at his fingers before jumping up on his leg as if begging him to pick her up. “Pray tell me, who do you plan to watch over her?” Now who could resist that face? Bending over, he lifted up the pup and placed her in his lap to rub her head gently. “She doesn’t get you off the hook for not telling me about the dates.” His eyes glared over at Markus scolding him as best he could with a cute puppy in his lap. He was still a little annoyed at the sight of the puppy knowing what his son was up to…or trying to do. That didn’t stop Jared’s mind from scheming about ways to get around the pup being around.

The door to his office flew opening to reveal Lucy running towards Markus making Jared smirk. Took the girl long enough to show some emotions around at least one guy besides fear and caution. As she scrambled for an apology for bursting in, he sighed and shook his head running a hand through his graying hair. Maybe he was getting too old for this job. Picking up Fleur, he gently placed the pup on the floor before playfully and gently tugging on her ear. “Don’t worry about it, Lucy. You didn’t interrupt anything more than an old man barking at his kid.” Glancing up, he saw her blush and starting to leave the office. Cutting his eyes at Markus, he nudged his head in Lucy’s direction as if saying for him to get his ass in gear and go talk to her. There was no way Jared was leaving the office just yet and his kid seemed to have more pressing issues.

[Markus Martins]

He watched Jared as he seemed to ponder over the idea of Mark and Larry taking care of the case works. He wasn't objecting, which Mark wasn't complaining about at all. But he wasn't giving an okay either. Well at the moment he didn't have much say in the decisions.

"Take a wild guess, Dad." He gave a playful grin as he watched his father with the puppy. She was cute. She knew that Jared wouldn't be able to say no to her. Especially with that cute little puppy face of hers. His head bobbed in the form of a nod when Jared said the name. "She's got a flower shaped spot on her shoulder." He explained as he watched the puppy nudge Jared's leg. He smiled at the two thoughtfully for a moment before his father lifted another question. He sirked and eyed his father thoughtfully. "Well since you're supposed to be at the cabin... and not at work... you'll be taking care of her when I'm not around."

"I thought Dippy could use a little company when you and me aren't home." He said casually as he watched Jared pick her up and set her in his lap. Although the alterior motive to Fleur was to keep his dad busy. And she would for a while, but Mark knew his father well enough to know that he would find a way around the puppy. Then a familiar voice reached his ears. He turned and gave Lucy a big grin. He reached to her and pulled her back as she made to leave. "No, you didn't interrupt anything. We were just having a discussion about some things. Like how he should be back at the cabin." He said, giving his father a pointed look as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist in a comforting manner.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy smiled as they both told her she wasn’t interrupting anything. She giggled a little at both of their comments, how they had summed it up. Lucy wasn’t surprised at all when mark grabbed her. She stayed in his arms. His arms comforted her. She grabbed his hand that was wrapped around his waist, not sure how to respond to him grabbing her in front of his father. She felt like drawing back and standing behind Mark, but she didn’t. She gave Jared a weak smile as she looked up at Mark. She was planning on giving him some kind of kiss, maybe a soft peck on the cheek, but she felt awkward doing so in front of his father. Her boss. So she stood still in his arms.

”I just came to say hi before the next lesson started,” she told Mark with a smile on her lips. She looked up at him, she felt like she was interrupting something, but he obviously wanted her there or he wouldn’t have grabbed her. She looked up at him then back at the puppy. The puppy was adorable and if he wouldn’t have been grabbing her and she would have been more comfortable she would have gotten on her hands and knees and started playing with it.

She turned back to Mark and stuck her tongue out at him. ”I thought you said you weren’t going to bring it in!” She wrinkled her nose at him before turning back to Jared. She didn’t want to seem rude or anything, she just wasn’t really sure what to say to him. She decided she would do the most polite thing. ”How are you Mr. Martin?” She asked, sure they were technically both Mr. Martin, but she had called Mark Mark forever. He was Mark, they went to school here together and were friends, Jared on the other hand, was her boss. She wasn’t sure how he would react to her, and she tried to not show she was scared but she couldn’t help take a bit step back into Mark.

[Jared Martins]

Jared wasn’t happy with the idea of Markus and Larry taking handle of the court cases. He was just too use to handling so much of the school and horse aspect of Willow Brooke. It was taking a lot of his will power to simply sit at home and play the good patient while twiddling his thumbs and watching TV. His mind had never been more numb then the past few days he’d spent at home since getting back from the hospital. Everything on TV was so predictable and stale while sitting around the cabin brought back far too many memories for the old guy to handle right then.

“No…no…and hell no! Markus! Damnit!” His eyes snapped over at his son in full on protest at the idea of watching after the puppy. For a moment a flush of color broke over his cheeks while cursing in front of a woman, but it quickly left his face getting back to his hard glare at his son. The girl (puppy) was cute, but he knew what his son was doing and didn’t want any of it. He didn’t want to be treated like a child being bribed with a dog to let the doctors poke and prod him then lie around and be nice. There was no way he was just going to give in to Markus’s scheming when there was real work around the camp for him to be doing. “Does she now?” Lifting Fleur in his hand, Jared twisted the pup to face him and looked at her shoulder. Sure enough there was a large black spot on her shoulder that was in the definite shape of a flower. The pup took the time and licked at Jared’s nose causing him to break his cold expression and laugh full heartedly. To keep his temper in check with Lucy in the office, he ignored Markus’s other comment about him suppose to be at the cabin instead of in the office. It was best for him to try to keep his blood pressure down instead of snapping out like he really wanted to.

Snapping his eyes up at Markus, Jared ground his teeth together while placing Fleur on the floor. “Markus, I raised you. I know how that mind of yours works. You didn’t get the pup for Dippy. You got her to keep me distracted.” There was a reason he was so good at being the head guy in this crazy camp he ran. He could read people very well and it helped that he had raised Markus from a child to the man he was now. The pup didn’t like the sudden loss of being up so high as she whined at his feet and pawed his shoe.

Rubbing his chin and glancing out the window, Jared gave Markus and Lucy a moment before turning back to them. Rolling his eyes, Jared leaned back in the chair and shook his head. “I don’t appreciate being ordered around. I can’t take anymore laying around the house. Too many memories.” Glancing at Fleur, a smile warmed up his cold face and brought forth the wrinkles on his face seeing the pup bounce over to Markus and Lucy. Hearing the question, he smiled and shrugged. “I’m alive so that must mean I’m doing something right.” There was no need to worry anyone around the camp and Lucy had far too much to handle then the old man. Like Markus. Jared was more than happy to have the girl at his son’s side. She was a sweet and shy girl, something different then what Markus was normally dating. His feelings weren’t hurt as she tried to hide behind his son. It wasn’t a surprise to know how much of a scary guy he could be when he was angry or anything. It would have worried him more if she was so opened and cheery around him.

[Markus Martins]

"Come on, Dad.... how can you say no to that face?" He asked with a mischievous smile. Jared knew what Mark was up to, and any other time he would have shouted at Mark for his mischievous ways, but the good thing about having Lucy around was that Jared would watch his temper because of her sensitive nature. Any other time they would probably be having a shouting match He glanced to Lucy with a sheepish grin when she seemed slightly mad that he brought the puppy to the stables. "Well I wasn't. I was on my way to the cabin when Margret called me to tell me Dad was trying to sneak in and do work." He said as he looked to his father accusingly.

He stooped down when the spotted puppy came bounding over Mark and Lucy. He picked her up and gave her a little scratch behind a small floppy ear and then handed her over to Lucy, knowing she would want to hold the puppy. "Hey, Lucy... can you take Fleur here outside and play with her for a moment while me and Dad talk?" He asked gently as he looked over Lucy's face. He gave her a smile and pecked a soft kiss over her forehead. "I'll meet you outside in a few minutes." He said gently, looking to his dad. Mark was willing to negotiate with his dad. A little work wasn't going to hurt him. Mark was just trying to follow the doctor's orders, but he wasn't going to let Jared over do it. He waited for Lucy to leave, giving her a soft smile before he turned back to Jared.

"Dad.. you can't spend all hours of the day up here, especially now when you're supposed to be resting." He said gently as he walked over and hoisted himself up on the desk. "One class period a day." Mark said gently, studying his father. "I will let you work one class period a day if you will please do what the doctor asks of you, Dad..." He looked over his father's face. He understood what his dad meant about there being too many memories. What he meant was that there are too many memories of Willow there. Mark could understand that, but he couldn't work like he used to. It wouldn't do him or his heart any good.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy smiled sheepishly at the two men. She felt the tension between them and worked her way closer into Mark’s arms. Until the puppy bounded over toward the couple and Mark bent down to pick it up. Lucy was delighted when he handed the puppy to her. Although, she was expected to be thrown out of the room by him. She was confused now as to why he had grabbed her instead of just letting her walk out of the room. ”I’ll just bring it back before the lesson starts,” she tried to hide the hurt of her voice as he shooed her out of the room. She should have just brushed Justice out. It was obvious she had come during the wrong time of day. He was busy and she was being a nuisance.

She walked with the puppy in her arms as it jumped up and tried to lick her face. ”Well you’re a sweety aren’t you.” She said as she left the office and shut the door behind her. She walked out of the main office building toward the outdoors. Ignoring the look the secretary was giving her. When she got outside she let the puppy down and took a sit in the grass. It wasn’t wet at all which is good, didn’t matter usually, she spent most of her days sitting on the saddle of a horse. Slowly she started going over the lesson plan in her head as she pawed at the puppy that would run off then come bounding back towards her.

Lucy laid down to allow the puppy to attack her face. She moved her face as the cute little puppy gave her licks all over her face. She was excited at being able to see the little rascal. It was definitely cute, but by the way things were going in the office she wasn’t sure if Mark would be able to convince Jared to keep it. He was right though, how could Mark say no to such a cute little face. Lucy considered getting a puppy, but didn’t know what the boss would have to say about her having a puppy stay in her cabin. Maybe later on down the road when she didn’t have to teach four classes a day without any free periods she would bring the idea up to Jared. She just didn’t want to not be able to bond with a dog if she did get one. She would want a big dog too, like a Greater Swiss Mountain dog or something. She had always wanted a large dog, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it, or Justice for that matter, and Justice was top priority. If Justice didn’t like the dog Lucy would have to get rid of it and that would break her heart.

[Jared Martins]

Jared slowly rose out of his chair and rested his hands on the desk, leaning over it slightly. If he was going to get anywhere with his son it would have to be face to face, not him sitting in the chair having to stare up at him. Not that it was much of a disadvantage since the owner of Willow Brooke was a very tough guy from everything that had occurred in his life. “I can say no because I agreed to that last cute face you brought home. Remember it? Dippy looked just the same as Fleur when you rescued him.” That mystery of who was the dog’s owner still puzzled him. Why would anyone just let a puppy run off without asking around for help in finding the poor thing? It also made him mad that someone could let an animal go without care for what happened to it. The reminder that Lucy was in the room forced Jared to keep his anger in check around the girl and for once he really wished he hadn’t tried to push Markus to get her a moment before. Or maybe subconsciously had done so in the thought that he didn’t need his blood pressure sky rocketing. “Last I saw, my name was still on the ownership papers of this place. Thus I couldn’t be sneaking into my own property.”

Feeling a headache come on, a hand reached up and rubbed his forehead while walking from around the desk to his locked cabinet. Pulling out the key from his pocket, he flicked the panels opened while Markus ushered Lucy and Fleur out of the room. Inside the cabinet was more than just Tylenol for his headache, but also the many confiscated illegal drugs, weapons, or knickknacks the students had tried to sneak into the school. Most of the drugs would get turned over to the Sherriff at the end of the month without giving out names of who held what and the weapons were just left here under lock and key. But past all that stuff was a framed picture of Willow and Markus, the first time he’d ridden a horse, at the very back. At one point it had been hung on the wall in his office before he could no longer stand seeing it every day without his heart being crushed a little more every day. Seeing it then reminded him of all the talks they had about their son, Jared shut the cabinet after taking out two small white pills and making sure he locked it as well. Taking a small cup of water back to the desk, he sat down and swallowed the pills along with some water to make it all ease down his throat to prevent himself from choking.

As Markus attempted to negotiate with him about doing a class but then rested the rest of the day, Jared was seriously missing the dog to keep his son quiet. His hand rubbed his face while taking a deep breath to calm down. “You are way too much like your mother. Always trying to keep the peace when you know I’m about to blow up.” Softening his eyes, he leaned back in the old leather chair and heard it squeak lightly under the pressure. Shaking his head at the proposal, he pulled out his cell phone and flipped through it’s calendar. “Main reason I came in was to get the papers together for the inspection next week.” Snapping his phone close, he snatched up a pen and walked over to the calendar on the wall. Over the date for next Thursday, he scribbled down ‘Insp. Noon.’. It wasn’t something that could be rescheduled or pushed off. The court set the date without giving him anymore warning then a week in advance. Some person would come out to the school, walk around, talk to the teachers, talk to some random students, and make his or her own opinion about the place and pass it on to the next person up. From there it would be a large debate if the school was doing what it claimed to do and if it should remain open or be shut down.

“I sure hope you’re ready for this.” Turning back to Markus, Jared snapped the pen shut and gave him a hard look, not to scare him but to push how serious an issue this was. “Since you claim to want me rest, I will back down until this date. You’ll be in charge of making this place run smoothly, getting the staff prepared and keeping everyone quiet so the students don’t know.” It was best none of them knew in case someone tried to act out anymore than normal just to scare the inspector into shutting down the camp. “If you can handle this, I’ll consider retiring in the next few years. If not, you had best get off my back about how I run this place and start taking notes.” Was this just a scar tactic? Possibly. Would Jared really consider retiring in the next few years? Likely. Did he have faith in his son? Yes, without having to be asked. There was no doubt in Jared’s mind that his son could pull this off, it would be harder than anything he’d been doing up until then but he believed in his kid.

[Markus Martins]

Mark sighed in exasperation, watching as Jared went to the cabinet where they kept the drugs and weapons the students tried to sneak in as well as the headache medication. That's when Mark saw it. A picture he hadn't seen in years. He studied it thoughtfully, looking over his mother and a very young mark sitting up on a horse. He barely remembered that day. He had been so young. But what he did remember was that it was the first time they took him riding. "I wondered where that went to." He said gently as he looked to his father while he took some medication. He frowned, and he wanted to ask if he was alright, but he resisted the urge, knowing it would only annoy Jared more.

He listened quietly, nodding his head. He shifted uncomfortably as he looked up to Jared with a weak smile. "Well... Lucy isn't exactly the person you want to blow up in front of, Dad." He said gently as he watched his dad. He watched him as he marked the date. When he saw what he wrote Mark felt like punching a wall. Seriously!? The courts decide to do an inspection now? Now!? Of all the times they could have chosen, they chose now? Just what? Two weeks after Jared's out of the hospital and Mark is in charge? He wasn't ready for this. He stared at the date for a long time, thinking. What could he possibly do? He didn't need a stern look to know that this was serious. He knew the work and effort Jared put into the camp when inspection time came around.

His attention was finally pulled away when he heard Jared say that he hoped Mark was read. He looked over his dad then looked back to the calendar. Mark sure hoped he was ready to. He had a nervous feeling that he might not be though. "I don't want you to retire... just... spend less time here in the office." His voice was faintly hoarse at the prospect of all the work he would have to do before the overshadowing inspection. Mark hadn't realized how much he took for granted until he had to take over for a while. "Dad... I... I-I'm not sure I'm ready to do this on my own." He hated to admit that, but he had to. He had to or he wouldn't be true to himself much less his father. He could handle paying bills and writing up the paperwork. Putting in the orders for feed and equipment, but this... The inspection. Mark wasn't so confident in himself.

[Jared Martins]

Jared’s eyes had scanned the picture so many times that he could see it as if it was right in his face. He could see how bright Willow’s eyes were as she brushed her dark hair out of her face when the wind had attempted to bring it all in her eyes. He could see the amazement on Markus’ face at being able to ride on his father’s horse, the first horse he’d brought in to be nurtured back to health after a lifetime of mistreatment. Every detail had been engraved into his memory from seeing it day after day until he couldn’t take it anymore from seeing her face every day. “Yeah…it’s been in there for…quite some time.” So long that he had forgotten when it had been slapped in to the cabinet. It barely got any light unless Jared was getting headache medicine or throwing illegal items in there. The frown on Markus’s face didn’t go unnoticed causing Jared to grin. “Only a headache. Nothing to do with my chest.”

Returning to his desk chair, Jared cut his eyes at Markus as if he was wasting his breath in telling him that he shouldn’t lose his temper in front of Lucy. “I know that.” Would he be forever reminded of that girl’s delicate mental state? That any outburst from him reminded her of her father. But he couldn’t be peachy nice to everyone around the camp. Some people need a good slap upside the head to put the world in perspective. Hell, he’d done just that to a few kids around the camp to get them to understand they were in his world and that the some rules could be bent for him to do his job. Getting back to the problems at hand, he wanted to laugh at how many emotions passed through Markus’s face at the sight of what he’d placed on the calendar. Reaching across the table, he grabbed the yellow note pad and unclicked the pen he’d used a moment before. Across the top he wrote, ‘To Do Before Inspection’ before bulleting a very long list down it of things that needed to be told to teachers, areas around the camp that needed to be cleaned, bathing and washing of ALL the horses a few days before the big date.

Not looking up from the pad, Jared waved his hand as if blowing off the comment his son had just made. “Retiring, working less…what’s the difference to me?” In his eyes, it was very much the same thing. If he didn’t work as hard as he use to it would have been like passing everything on to his son. His pen stalled over the paper while lifting his head up hearing how nervous Markus really was about the inspection. “Where is that confident Markus I raised? I didn’t raise no coward. Not my kid.” Giving him a large grin, a soft chuckle broke the silence while he went back to scribbling on the paper. As if he would leave his son without any direction…it was laughable. “Besides, you’re not going to be completely hanging in the wind.” Snapping the pen shut, he threw it back in its cup while leaning back in the chair and leaving the pad on the desk. Reaching up, his hand rested behind his head while his foot crossed over the other at the ankle, the picture of perfect relaxation.

[Markus Martins]

"The difference is you can still be paid for doing what you care about." He said gently. He didn't want to force Jared into retiring, but he was going to have to cut back his hours at the farm if he wanted to stay around long enough to see his grandkids. The fact that Mark thought that was scary. He never used to think like that, but lately there was just so much to worry about. "I don't want you to retire, Dad... I just want you to work less hours. You're going to end up killing yourself if you don't." He said gently as he looked his father in the eyes. Mark didn't know how to make what he was saying any more clearer to his father. "Can't exactly see your grandkids if you're already buried six feet under." He said weakly as he looked away from Jared.

He sighed tiredly and sat down on the edge of the desk, looking over the files for the inspection. "Dad... the confident Markus you raised never had to deal with all details of the inspections." He said weakly as he looked up to Jared. It was true. Jared had always been the one worrying about the inspections Mark just over looked the whole cleaning up aspect of the camp. Mark never oversaw all the things that Jared did when the inspections rolled around. He watched as he snapped the pen shut and sat back. He looked to the list and wanted to just drop dead when he saw the length of it. How had he managed to cram all of that onto one little post it. "So I guess I need to have Margret call the staff to a meeting after classes are over." He said weakly, staring at the list. He had a feeling he wouldn't be getting much sleep for the next week.

He looked back up to Jared, wondering how in the world he could be so relaxed with the news of the inspection. Mark stared at him for a long time before he got up from his spot and set several other things in the out box for Margret to take care of before he leaves for the day.