"They're going to send me to the mad house, Esme." Carlisle mumbles under his voice to Esme. She rubs his shoulders and kisses his cheek as a loud thump is heard from the upper floor. Carlisle lets out a heavy sigh before yelling up another warning to the misbehaving duo upstairs. "If I have to come up there, punishments will follow!"
"We're not doing anything!" Edward and Emmett yell back in unison.
"Yeah, right." Carlisle whispers to Esme again so the kids upstairs couldn't hear. He closes his eyes. "It's funny how they're never doing anything. Trouble just brews around them, even when they're being the perfect little angels they want us to believe."
"Just relax, honey. Boys will be boys." Esme soothes.
"Relax, Jasper." Alice's voice soothes Jasper as he leads her down the stairs by her hand. Carlisle opens his eyes to see the couple entering the living room. Jasper sits on the end of the couch, and Alice settles herself on his lap before turning her attention to Carlisle. "Can you please tell him he's not the one in trouble, Carlisle."
"I know who is causing the ruckus, buddy. And you know you won't be punished unfairly." Carlisle reassures. Jasper nods.
"I know, sir, but I also know what trouble looks like and how to avoid it." Jasper says slowly, his southern draw thick. He rubs Alice's hand and keeps his eyes low.
Carlisle can feel the nervous energy rolling off his newest son. Jasper and Alice are wonderful additions to his family for many reasons, but right now he's most thankful for their good behavior. Even on the rare occasions that one of them sat on the edge of wrongdoing, a stern look or light scolding is all it takes to get them to step back into line. So much easier than the other three. Rosalie can argue til the bitter end, Edward is as stubborn as a mule and sometimes Carlisle can't help but be concerned about how Emmett can so easily act without thinking of the consequences. The rules haven't changed in the sixty years that Emmett has been with the family.
A loud thud is heard upstairs, a thud combined with the sound of breaking wood and crumbling drywall. Everyone in the house falls silent. Jasper's eyes grow wide and his anxiety goes through the room.
"Boys!" Carlisle calls angrily as he rises to his feet. Emmett and Edward start throwing blame around.
"Emmett did it! He threw me into the wall!"
"I did not! He's the one who pushed me!"
"You both are idiots!" Rosalie adds on.
Holding back a scowl, Carlisle runs to the scene of the crime. A vampire-sized hole is in the wall about two feet from the ground. Dust and drywall chunks litter the floor and the shirts of Edward and Emmett. Still on the ground, Emmett and Edward put on their most innocent faces. Looking innocent is something they have down to an art. Staying on the floor and ducking their chins slightly to their chest makes them look weaker. Watching Carlisle through their eyelashes makes it seem like they're too young and naive to intentionally cause the trouble they are in. And because the hole in the wall is a big deal, Edward sticks his bottom lip out.
"I thought you weren't doing anything." Carlisle murmurs as he rubs his forehead. Emmett and Edward throw out more excuses. Carlisle just holds up one hand to silence them. "Get up. Get to the hardware store. Get home."
"Leave right now?" Emmett asks. Carlisle nods.
"Right now." Carlisle says. "And once you boys fix the hole, we'll talk about punishment."
Emmett looks over at Edward and raises his eyebrows. Edward shakes his head no. Emmett bites his lip. Not because he's nervous, but because it's part of looking innocent.
"Um, Dad? We'll need some money."
"What?" Carlisle bellows. Now Emmett bites his lip because he's nervous. "I just gave both of you money four days ago!"
"Well, we spent it." Edward explains. "Isn't that the point of having money? To spend it?"
Even without being able to read Carlisle's mind, Emmett knows that Edward's simple shrug off of Carlisle's money pushed Carlisle over the edge. Carlisle's set jaw, his hard eyes and his flared nostrils are enough to let everyone know how he's taking Edward's comment.
"Dumb ass." Rosalie mumbles from on the couch as she flips through a magazine. Carlisle spins to face her, his finger pointed firmly.
"You stay out of this, Rosalie!" He warns before turning his attention to the boys. "How can you each spend five hundred dollars in four days? Do you realize how much money you kids get? I gave out $2,500 in one day! Do you think it's easy for me to make that? I can't believe you two! Just take my card, get only what you need, and then get right back here and we'll finish this conversation once you're back home. Get off the floor!"
Emmett and Edward slowly rise to their feet. Carlisle grabs Edward's elbow and gives him a sharp slap on his rear.
"Ouch!" Edward whines and jumps away from Carlisle.
"You're next, Emmett." Carlisle tells his biggest boy, then grabs Emmett and delivers the same smack to Emmett. He just clenches his jaw and takes the slap without a complaint. Letting go of Emmett, Carlisle pulls his wallet out and angrily hands Edward his credit card.
"Sorry, Carlisle." Edward says with a guilty pout as he takes the piece of plastic.
"Yeah, sorry, Carlisle." Emmett adds on. Carlisle takes a deep breath.
"Go on, boys." He tells them. As the troublesome duo run out of the loft, Carlisle turns to Rosalie. "Do you have any of your money left?"
"Some." She shrugs with a cold glare, still angry about being scolded.
With a disappointed shake of his head, Carlisle leaves the loft as he hears the front door slam shut and the engine of the Jeep starting. As he reenters the living room, Jasper's fearful eyes fall on him.
"Honey, do you want to go on a hunt?" Carlisle asks Esme.
"Of course." She agrees with a nod. As she stands, Carlisle pulls his wallet out again.
"Here, why don't you two go for a ride." He suggests, handing a twenty dollar bill out towards Alice and Jasper. "Put this in the tank. The beach is never busy this time of year. You could go watch the tides."
"I still have all the money left you gave us the other day." Jasper says quickly. "I'll fill up the tank."
"No, it's fine. Just take the money." Carlisle insists.
"Are you sure? It's really no problem for me to-" Jasper starts, but Carlisle cuts him off with a shake of his head. He hands the twenty to Alice.
"It's fine. Just go enjoy yourself." Carlisle insists. Alice stands from Jasper's lap and takes his hand.
"Come on, honey. You know the waves are relaxing." Alice says with a loving smile. For a quick moment, Jasper forgets about his stress and smiles back.
As Jasper and Alice, and Carlisle and Esme go their separate ways, Carlisle take's Esme's hand before they both run towards the woods. The two of them keep moving until they can no longer hear Rosalie's annoyed huffs and the turning of her magazine pages.
"Esme," Carlisle sighs tiredly. "I swear, those boys are going to be the death of me. I don't know what I'm going to do with them. They've been acting up for weeks now."
"Honey, you're giving them too much credit. They may come close, but they won't kill you." She says, holding back a smile.
"What am I suppose to do with those two?"