Teacher's Pet || A Joseph Quinn AU

The Chameleon

It was a week before she was supposed to leave to go to school and she was dreading every minute of it. Even though she really did want to be a doctor and all of that was very exciting, so was the life she was currently living with Joseph and Jamie. She'd taken a few more modeling gigs (and was surprised she'd even gotten them) and made quite a bit more money. It was easier and faster than she was sure schooling would be and she was having a hard time convincing herself that she should give it up in favor of education. It wasn't as if she didn't have all the time in the world to become a doctor but she wouldn't have eternity to be a model. Since she'd been exposed to the fun and far more glamorous side of life, she didn't want to let it go either. What if she could be more successful as a model? Make more money? Have more freedom to do what she wanted instead of being bound by school work and the rules of a hospital?

"What if I don't go to school, right away I mean?" She asked Joseph that morning over breakfast. She was up early because she was supposed to go to another shoot that day so they were still together for a bit before he would leave for the set. He looked up at her, nearly choking on the food he was trying to swallow.

"What?"

"Well, I'm doing okay at this modeling thing and I think if I pushed it to full time, got some good representation...I could really make some money. I know there's an age limit on the time period of this career so why not cash in on it while I have the chance?" She asked. He nodded and set his fork down.

"I'm not going to stop you, I think you should do whatever makes you happy. However, you may find that it's not what you actually wanted once you really get into it." He said, "I know you like your privacy."

"So do you but you're still acting and maintaining it for the most part."

"That doesn't mean it's easy and if both of us are in the public eye it'll only get harder. Not that I'm trying to scare you, because I'm not. I think you'd make a great model, you're gorgeous but it's just the reality of the situation." He said. She nodded and finished the last bite of her food. She didn't think he was worried about competition or her getting famous, though she didn't think she'd ever be more famous than him. An actor and a model were two very different things and she certainly did not have the talent or patience to do what he did on a daily basis.

"It would only be temporary and when or if I started to hate it then that would only make it easier to quit and go back to school." She said, "I think that if I didn't take this opportunity while I have it I might be kicking myself for the rest of my life too."

"Alright, then I will support you all the way." He smiled, reaching across the table to take her hand and give it a squeeze. She smiled back at him, happy that she had someone like him who was grounded in reality but wasn't afraid to let her take chances and make her own mistakes if that was how it needed to be. She picked up her plate to take it to the sink when she heard the front door open and after that there were loud footsteps trudging towards their location. A sound that could have only been made by Jamie. She was very used to how he walked around at that point but she was not used to him coming there so early in the morning. It wasn't as if he didn't have things to do as well.

"You might want to see this." Jamie said, holding his phone out towards Joseph as he approached the table.

"I see it's such exciting news you forgot how to text me again." He chuckled and took the phone. That was when his cheerful demeanor stopped and his expression dropped into one that could only be described as fear.

"What? What is it?" She asked, coming over to the table and stepping up behind him to see what he was looking at. It appeared to be a website, not a very reliable one, but it did have a picture of her. A random paparazzi picture of her out shopping. Probably something that no one would have normally cared about except the additional photo was zoomed into her shoulder where Joseph's initials had been carved. Glancing at the article she could see that it was a bunch of speculation about how she was his girlfriend. Though she was annoyed, since they hadn't announced it publicly and had planned to do it at the premiere for his new movie she didn't see why this would be upsetting to that level to either him or Jamie. "And...? This was probably going to happen sooner or later."