A TID Fanfic. This is just a bit of fun.
Causing Havoc
The Institute, as always, was mad. People rushing around like crazy, pushing into people, running around like bees in a hive.
'James! James don't! Don't-'
A crash, and simultaneous giggles from the children gathered around the table, the broken vase now splinters of glass scattered on the table. Tessa was red in the face, as was Charlotte, Sophie and Cecily. Tessa put her head in her hands, and then looked up to where they were, childish grins displayed on their faces.
'James. Come here.' She said, trying to breathe as slowly as she could.
They all stood, facing their children, only the table between them.
James was a tall boy of his age, black, messy hair that was identical to his father's, with gold coloured eyes which were very unique. His grin was the biggest of them all, next to his best friend, Matthew. He was the same age, dark blonde hair and hazel eyes that were also inherited.
Behind him stood his older brother, Charles, who looked like a mini version of Henry, with his ginger hair, though he had Charlotte's warm brown eyes. He was more rules bound than a rules breaker, but he still didn't miss out on the fun. To the left of James was Barbara, Gideon and Sophie's daughter, and Anna, Cecily and Gabriel's daughter.
As soon as they could all walk and talk (and run), they wreaked havoc as much as they could, leaving the breathless mothers to deal with them.
They were all a bunch of troublemakers. Every last one of them.
James and Matthew were the biggest troublemakers, breaking rules as easily as getting caught breaking them. Anna and Barbara were particularly cheeky, and Charles loved talking back to them and questioning every single thing they done. It was a nightmare raising these children, all of whom were the best runners.
'Matthew. Charles. Stop right now or...' Charlotte began.
'Or what?' Charles questioned.
'Or you will be up to bed right this minute.'
'And you Barbara.' added Sophie.
'You too.' Cecily said sternly, looking at Anna with an expression most familiar to Will's.
If there was one thing the children hated, it was going to bed early. This seemed to work, as they all crept toward them, their looks of dread clear on their faces.
Tessa looked to Charlotte gratefully, sighing slowly. She never had imagined how tiring it was to be a mother. Only now did she realise otherwise. She wondered how these kids could cause so much trouble so early in the afternoon.
'When d'you think they'll be back?' Asked Cecily, a despairing tone in her voice.
'Hopefully soon.' Replied Charlotte.
••••
The door slammed open, the men stumbling inside in a drunken manner.
They all blocked their paths, looking at their husbands sternly.
'Our turn.' Said Tessa, talking to Will, who still had a grin on his face.
'Your turn to what?' He asked, his blue shining eyes delirious. Beside him was Henry, Gabriel and Gideon, who had spent nearly all the day getting themselves intoxicated.
'To get away from the troublemakers.' Said Cecily, exasperated.
'You're going to look after them now.' Said Charlotte in a very pleased tone, her arms crossed.
'That's right. You are looking after the children, while we go hunt some demons.' Tessa explained.
'You make it sound like hunting demons is fun.' Gabriel said, an irritated edge to his voice.
'It is comparatively better than looking after those children, yes.' Cecily retaliated.
'And why can't you do it?' Said Gideon.
'Because we have. Too many times in fact. It's your turn to look after them.'
Sophie exclaimed.
'You want me to look after them? Me?' Asked Henry in disbelief, all happiness from alcohol consummation gone.
'That's right dear.' Replied Charlotte coolly.
'I'll try, I mean...don't blame me if we can't get the rogues to bed.'
Charlotte looked at them all, her lip curling into a smile. 'Oh I'm sure you all will.'
'How hard can it be to look after a few children? Especially while intoxicated...' Tessa added, and they turned away, shaking with laughter while they did, leaving the men looking dumbfounded at the door.
••••
Will looked at Tessa in disbelief.
'How are we supposed to look after them?' He said, following Tessa around the room. 'For one, we've been drinking...a lot. I don't think it would help-'
'It doesn't matter if you're drunk or sober. You're looking after them because you hardly ever do.'
'You're saying I'm an irresponsible father.' He replied.
'Not at all. Just that you never deal with them. You make them laugh, joke around with them, you tell them off if they've been extremely disobedient. But you've never chased after them repeatedly, never caught them in the act of doing something bad.' She argued, her tone somewhat satisfied.
'I'm sure you can handle it. Try and calm James down. Read him a book. You are good at reading.' She added.
'I don't think he'll enjoy Tale of Two Cities just yet.'
'A children's book Will.'
'We have children's books? I've never known that.'
'Just try to calm him down before he messes everything up.'
'James is me. He is exactly like me. Do you really think either I or James can be tamed?'
'I can tame you.'
'Only just. And James...he's as rogue as a demon.'
'They're children. They aren't demons.'
'Demons are easier to deal with.'
'That's why we're going to hunt them. And anyway, we haven't been out in a long time.'
'Okay.' He sighed, his eyes twinkling in spite of his surrender.
'Alright. But if we mess up badly, it's only you to be blamed for the idea.'
She laughed, her hair falling in front of her eyes.
'Fair enough.'
She kissed him, his eyes shining their bright blue.
'Have fun.' He said, and then she walked out of the room.
••••
'Charlotte. Do be reasonable. I don't think I'll be very capable of this job. You have always been capable for everything, therefore, you won't make a complete mess like I will. In fact, I'll probably make more mess than the children put together.'
She couldn't help but laugh.
'I'm sure you'll be capable enough. You've already done this before anyways.'
'With Charles and Matthew. Not all of them. And you and I both know what Matthew is like. Charles may question everything, but Matthew is exactly the same as James. I wouldn't be surprised if they became parabatai when they're old enough.'
'You're right there.' She agreed, taking his hand. 'But you still need to experience what we experience, because believe me, your not going to appreciate it much.'
His protests still made her laugh, at every attempt.
'You know me. I'm a kid myself. I'm like an overgrown child. I can't deal with two extra mini versions of myself.'
'Oh Henry. You just need practice. Like with everything else you do. Like your cooking-'
'I knew it! I knew you didn't like my cooking!'
'It's not that I don't like it. You just need practice. And actually, your eggs are very satisfactory.'
He shook his head in mock disappointment. She laughed, kissing him on the cheek as she embraced him. 'I'm sure you'll be fine. But watch out for Charles. If he hurts you, it will hurt. A lot. He's actually very strong. Like his father.' She looked up at him, smiling.
'Be safe.'
'It's not me you should be worried about.'
He looked down, shaking his head, a small grin on his face.
'You always know how to persuade me Lottie.'
'Don't make too much mess.' She whispered.
'I don't think I can guarantee that.'
'Then learn. Control and calm them. Make sure they get to bed.' She kissed him, and whispered in his ear. 'Turn it into a game. Make them laugh. Tickle them.'
He nodded, letting go of her as she strode away.
••••
'Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood! Are you bribing them?' Said Cecily, standing in the doorway. They both turned round, they're guilty faces hard to hide.
'Sophie!' She called, and she appeared next to Cecily, looking sternly at Gideon.
'You can't bribe them to do what you want! You need them to cause trouble before you bribe them. It's the only way you'll learn.' Said Sophie, her hands on her hips.
'You're not taking the easy way out.' Added Cecily.
'How do you expect us to cope?' Said Gabriel.
'We don't.'
'Barbara, Anna. Don't let your fathers bribe you.' Said Sophie, the girls instantly giggling and running out of the room. They looked at them both with mock anger, standing up and facing them.
'Don't you make it easier sometimes?'
Gideon argued.
'Of course. Notice the 'sometimes.' Plural, which means that we've done this more than once. And we've handled it. You men are just always complaining.' Cecily retorted.
'I-' Gideon stammered, cutting short.
'You really do outwit me sometimes.' He said finally, Gabriel agreeing with him.
'That's because we're smarter.' Said Sophie.
'Thats very stereotypical.' Replied Gabriel.
'So is men being stronger, and more capable, and more in charge. Charlotte will tell you that.' She retaliated, laughing at Gabriel's stunned look.
'And by the looks of things, you're not being very capable right now.' Cecily added.
'Please Cecy. Please just let us all relax. Deal with them together.'
She walked up to him, put her arms round him, and whispered.
'You've already had your fun. You've already intoxicated yourself until you stumble. You've already hunted demons. You haven't looked after them all properly.'
She pecked him on the cheek and walked out, laughing in her wake. Gabriel looked as stunned as Gideon's sudden burst of laughter.
'You really got a charmer there.' He teased.
'I know.' He said, leaving them both to follow Cecily.
'Same goes for you Gideon.' Sophie said.
'How are we supposed to look after five children?'
'You tell me.' She replied.
'I don't know.'
'Exactly. Engage them in something worthwhile. Play with them, make scones for them. Anything to divert their troublemaking schemes.'
'I hate scones.' He commented.
'I know. I've known for a long time now Gideon. That's why I still sneak a scone onto your tray of food.'
'I've seen that. You really do know how to cheek people.'
'One of my defining qualities. And as a former maid, I know everything there is to know about cooking and how to sneak scones undetected onto your plate.'
'You keep continuing to surprise me. One day you are going to totally outsmart me.'
'I probably already have.'
'I agree with you there.'
'Except for training. I'm still not very skilled in throwing knives.'
'You are brilliant at training.'
'Thank you Gid.'
'You're the only one who calls me that. I like it.'
She looked flattered.
'I like it when you call me Soph.'
'Nicknames just can't be avoided.' He said with a smile.
She smiled in return.
'Just cope.'
'Alright then.'
'Come here.' She beckoned for him, and Gideon walked to her, embracing her, his face embedded in her sweet smelling hair.
'Don't cause mess. And don't worry. They are children. Nothing too monstrous.'
'Okay. I'll keep that in mind.'
'Good luck.' She said, lingering only for a moment longer, and then sweeping out.
••••
'Will is complaining as much as the children complain. He sounded like a child himself.' Said Tessa.
'Henry too. He thinks he'll make more of a mess than the children put together. And then he said I was criticising his cooking!' Said Charlotte, laughing while she did.
'Unfortunately, I think they're both true.' Tessa replied, nodding.
'Gabriel tried bribing them.' Cecily put in.
'And Gideon doesn't want to make scones for them.' added Sophie.
They all laughed, marvelling at their husband's foolishness.
'How many of us had to reassure them?' Asked Sophie. 'All of us.' Cecily replied.
'Men.' Tessa said, shaking her head.
'Come on. Let's go kill some demons.' Said Charlotte, taking out her whip.
They strode out the door, laughing and speculating the outcome of the night.
••••
'They're gone.' Said Will, addressing the men that were discussing how bad it would end up.
'We need to distract them.' Said Gideon, saying it like he was talking about fighting tactics.
'Yeah. Something we can all do. Successfully, I might add.' Gabriel contributed.
'I think my areas of expertise are limited in this area.' Said Henry, looking doubtful.
'Lets just try and engage them in a game. One that doesn't involve leaving the Institute in a complete mess.' Said Will.
SMASH! The sound came from the kitchen, and by the sounds of laughter, they knew the culprit's instantly. 'How can they cause trouble already?! They've only just left!' Exclaimed Gideon. They looked at each other for a fleeting second, then bolted toward the kitchen door, all stopping in shock. Plates were smashed on the floor, cutlery scattered everywhere. They all looked at each other, their mouths agape. They looked back to their children, and realised: it was going to be a long night.
••••
'James, Matthew.' Said Will, caution in his voice, edging closer to them, his hands up as if in surrender. 'Let go of the plates. We're going to play a game. Together. All of us.' He said.
This seemed to work, as both of them were considering. Then Matthew shouted 'Charles!'
He came from behind the door, sliding under their legs, a gingery blur that made Henry proud. But not so much when he started grabbing Will's legs and kicking them.
They tried best not to curse, holding their legs in pain as James and Matthew made a dash for it, sliding under their legs too and disappearing with Charles.
'I see what Charlotte meant.' Said Henry, looking back to where they had exited a moment ago.
'C'mon. Let's catch these monkey's!'
Said Will, running out the door as they all followed suit.
They looked left and right, up and down, and even though they were destined for a good deal of trouble, they couldn't help but marvel at the children's team ship.
Another crash. They raced toward the dining room, where Anna and Barbara were attempting to climb the furniture. Gabriel and Gideon rushed toward them, securing them in their arms. Matthew charged toward them, and Henry lunged forward, trying to catch Matthew, but he ran as fast as a cheetah, and freed both Anna and Barbara from Gideon and Gabriel's grips. His son was a goddamn genius!
They rushed out, Gabriel and Gideon cursing for letting them go. At the top of the stairs stood Charles, laughing as James rushed past them, but Will got him. Haha! His son wriggled in his grasp, his legs still kicking out, running in the air. Then Matthew whizzed past them, Henry fruitlessly trying to catch him, as well as Gabriel. But Matthew got James free, and they raced up the stairs. They all cursed fiercely, looking all round at they're surroundings. They were in the hallway, the stairs straight ahead of them. Gideon charged forward, but Will took hold of his shirt and dragged him back.
'They want us to go up there. They have this all figured out.'
'I don't get how we can kill demons, but we can't catch five children.' Said Henry, exasperated.
'I take it all back.' Gabriel said. 'Women are so much better and capable. We can't do this.'
'We can. We just need to try ambush their schemes.' Said Will.
I'll go up the stairs, Henry, you go to the kitchen, Gabriel, keep guard by the door, and Gideon...behind the curtains.'
They all nodded. 'Okay. Let's go!' They all rushed to their positions, looking out for any disturbances, noises, or rogue children.
Will raced up the stairs, getting to the bedrooms. Children rushed everywhere, trying to climb windows and run past him. Charles ran past, and Will caught him, but it seemed that was what he wanted, for he hurt him again, and he cursed loudly. He then ran the other way, aiming for the staircase on the other side. He knew where they were going.
'Henry!' He shouted, running back down the stairs, but then it was too late. The cupboards had been raided, and an injured Henry was at the doorframe, cursing in pain.
'How can children hurt someone this much?' He said wildly.
'They took most of the stuff from the cupboards, leaving only the healthy stuff of course.'
'Okay. Let's find them.'
They ran back, getting Gideon and Gabriel, and then pursuing the sounds of laughter until they came to the crypt.
'Oh (curse)!' Shouted Henry, descending the stairs with so much speed and force, they instantly knew how Matthew could run that fast.
They slammed the door open, to find all the children, with miniature gear on, clutching weapons and their pockets filled with food. They stepped forward, their eyes bulging.
'How did...how did you get those weapons?!' Said Will.
'Training room.' Said James, looking smug.
'The training room is locked.' Said Gabriel.
'James is very good at picking locks.' Said Matthew.
'Ohh. I knew it! I knew we should've used a locked rune!' Exclaimed Gideon.
Henry looked at some of the other weapons they held, and his eyes widened, recognising them.
'How the hell did you get them?' He said.
'Charles is very good at jumping, and he's quite good at being strong too.' Said Anna.
Henry looked from Charles to the tall cupboard, which was supposed to store all his Shadowhunter weapons that were altered to be even more deadly to demons. Things he had invented, and kept away from everyone, because the outcome of just one shot...
'Put those down NOW!' He shouted, moving closer towards them.
'I'm not trying to scare you...just please...put those weapons down now. They could hurt you very badly. They could result in terrible things. Just give them to me. Please. They are very dangerous you see.' He tried reasoning, his voice strained calm, his veins standing out in his skin, trying to contain his panic.
'James. Let them go. We don't want you getting hurt.'
'Anna. Let go of that. Now.'
'Barbara. Do not pull that! No don't. Don't even think about it.'
'Please. Charles, Matthew. Do you know what your mother would do if you fired them? Not just you would be in trouble, we all would be. Especially me.' He gulped, clearly imagining the possibility of it happening.
'You've won. We will surrender. Your game was very good and well thought out. But now, you have to do what your daddy tells you. You've broken a LOT of rules tonight, and we are all willing to let them go if you just hand the weapons over to us.' Said Will.
'If we do, could we have a children versus daddy competition?' James inquired, looking exactly like Will.
'Of course. Of course we can. Just put the weapons down.' Said Gabriel.
They all considered, all the while panic flooding through the men in the case they declined or something happened by accident.
'Okay. Here we go.' Sighed Charles, and they all handed their weapons, the fathers sighing heavily, relived of what could've happened.
Henry's hand went to his head in relief, and he stored all the weapons back into the cupboard, remembering that Charlotte didn't know anything about the weapons.
Will knelt down, embracing James, and reassuring him.
'We will play your game. Just don't...don't cause any trouble this time alright?'
'Alright daddy. But you're going to have to make it fun. Otherwise we will play a different game. The one you don't like.'
'Good. Then that's a deal Jamie.' He called him his nickname and ruffled his hair, making him laugh.
They held their children tight, half cursing, half relieving them.
'Those weapons...don't tell your mother. Please.' They said, imagining what would happen if they did. Henry looked the most panic-stricken.
'Whatever you do. Please do not tell your mother at all what happened and especially about the weapons. God knows what she'd do.' He said, running his hands through his hair.
'Okay. But only if you let us go to bed later.' Pleaded Charles.
He sighed, bending down to pick them both up.
'Fine. Just...don't tell.' He winked, and smiled at them.
'Anna. How ever did you climb the curtains?' Said Gabriel in disbelief.
'Barbara gave me a push. And then I went up, up up.' She explained, making cute gestures. He looked at his daughter, Cecily's black hair and his bright green eyes. She was so beautiful, it was hard not to be angry with her.
'I give up. I just...' He said, turning to Gideon, and spinning back round to Anna, who was looking up at him expectantly.
'Darling. Don't play with weapons. You can when your older.' He said finally.
'How older?' She asked.
'Much older.' He answered, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek.
'But for now, leave the fighting and climbing to us, yes?'
'Yes daddy.'
'Good girl.' And he picked her up, as Gideon picked Barbara up, her long blonde curls splayed all over Gideon's shoulders.
'Yes Barbara you can still play games. Just not deadly ones or troublemaking ones or ones where we have no idea where you are. Is that okay?'
'Yes. But we can still play a game can't we?'
'Of course we can. Just a playful game.'
'Of course.' She said, but her tone was very different to the answer and her grin brought a groan to him.
'Alright guys.' Said a Will, addressing them all, 'let's continue this fame outside. Oh and no hurting. Especially from you Charles.' His eyes swivelling to the child, and Charles looking proud, grinned widely.
'Let's go!' Said Matthew, rubbing his hands together in preparation.
They all raced up the stairs, James riding on Will's back, Matthew running along as easily as actually walking, Anna and Barbara holding hands while they were being held by Gideon and Gabriel, and Charles on Henry's shoulders, holding on tightly. It was so fortunate having a big family (because they all were family) and beautiful children that were wonderful despite their genius schemes.
They walked out to the courtyard, the moon shining softly above them, covering them all in moonlight, their shadows dancing on the grass. It was a beautiful summers evening, one of the few nights where no rain pelleted them ferociously. The children gathered in a group opposite them, discussing tactics in a huddle. The men all talked of how close that was, and how cute they all looked, when Barbara interjected 'Let's play!' She shouted excitedly.
'How do we play?' Gideon asked.
'It's simple.' Said Charles 'We run at you, we get you to the ground and we win.'
'You seem very sure of yourselves. What if we win?' Asked Will.
'You won't. And if you did want to try, you just need to get us all the ground.'
They're English was adorable to listen to, the phrases and words they said always hilariously nice to hear.
'We can do that.' Will replied.
'We know. That's why we go first.' Anna said.
'That makes more sense.' Henry put in.
'Yes daddy it is.' Said Matthew, with a wickedly adorable grin.
'1...2...3...GO!' James called, and they all ran forward, the fathers all leaning forward, bracing themselves.
They were knocked, hit and bullied to the ground by them all, being overthrown, laughing on the ground. But then they started to tickle them all, which made them shout and squirm in laughter as they were gently wrestled to the floor.
'We got you now.' Said Will, tickling James so much he was laughing himself.
However just as he said that, Matthew charged toward them, his speed incredible, and he lunged from behind onto their backs, wrestling with them as Charles, James, Anna and Barbara started to hit them to the ground. This went on for a long time, until they all collapsed to the grassy floor, all grouped together in a mass huddle. Will was in the middle, James sprawled on his stomach, Anna's head rested on Gabriel's, Barbara clinging onto Gideon, and Charles and Matthew leaning on Henry on each side of him. They were all red in the face, and breathless. The game had been a very good way of tiring them all out, not just the children. The fathers were all battered, bruised and hit, from the beatings they took from their children, and in return, they were all tickled to exhaustion. They lay there, looking up at the stars, slowly drifting off to sleep, until every single one of them was asleep, their limbs sprawled everywhere, they're hair falling into their eyes, their breaths all equally exhaled, and all their heads filled with the events of the game and the night, the clouds, the sky, and the stars, peaceful and serene.
••••
They crept silently in, looking around them, confused at how they weren't anywhere to be seen. The mess seemed to be limited, but the kitchen was raided, the cupboard doors still hanging open, showing the contents that were mostly not there.
'What the-?!' Said Tessa, looking out the window to the courtyard.
'They're out here!' She said, gesturing then to look for themselves.
They went outside, marvelling at the pile of sleeping bodies before them.
They laughed, wishing they could capture the moment.
'Will? Will?' Said Tessa, shaking his shoulder. No response. 'Will!'
He shook awake, his eyes widening in surprise.
He shook the other men awake, they're blank and confused faces very amusing.
'What happened?' Said Tessa, looking at James' body still sprawled onto Will's.
'We played a very tiring game so I guess we collapsed here and drifted off to sleep.' He explained.
'Did we do well?' He asked.
'You done better than expected. There was hardly any mess except for the kitchen...' She said, eyeing Will with a very pretentious look.
'Yeah well. The children decided to play their own game before we played this one. A game where we couldn't catch them and they hurt us. Surprisingly, a lot.'
She laughed, her eyes glittering.
'Let's get James to bed.' She said, helping Will get up from the entanglement of limbs.
'Why does Anna have dirt on her cheeks?' Said Cecily, looking at Gabriel expectantly.
'Game. We all played a very rough game and I think she got dirty. Everyone got dirty.'
'Okay. What do you think?' She said, turning to Sophie.
'Hmm. I wonder what you've really been doing.' She said.
'We've told you. We have actually played a game with them.' Replied Gideon, picking Barbara up and holding her to his chest, her arms draping down his back.
'Well you certainly did get dirty. But you actually survived. That's a good thing.'
'Yes. Surprised ourselves too.' Said Gabriel, rubbing his head where he had got hit.
'Proud of you.' Sophie replied.
'You can do all this again then.' Said Cecily, nodding with Tessa in agreement.
The men looked at each other with looks of horror displayed on their faces.
'Never again.' They said in unison.
'Ha. We'll see.' Tessa replied.
'How can Matthew run so fast? And how can Charles hurt so much?'
He asked Charlotte, rubbing his shoulder.
'Who knows?' She said, 'Aw they're so cute.' She said, looking at them, their heads still resting on Henry, who was sitting up, smiling.
'They caused a lot of trouble. Not as much mess. But then we played this game. It made them happy. Not so much for us though.' He said with a weak smile.
'Did we do well?'
'You did very well.'
His smile brightened, picking them both up in his arms as he stood up.
They walked back inside, they're children clinging onto them.
'Let's take them up.' Said Will, and they all went up the stairs. When they reached the hallway, they stopped in their tracks, their mouths agape.
Food was splattered everywhere, scones, bread, cake, chocolate, biscuits, eggs, and more were displayed on the walls, the floor, on the doors of the children's bedrooms like an abstract work of art.
They stood, the men standing stock-still, their eyes looking straight ahead of them as the women turned on them, arms crossed.
'Another part of your game?' Said Tessa coldly.
'Uh...it was the children. It wasn't us. They went out of control. But now we know where the food has gone!' Said Will, with a small smile.
'I told you to calm them! Not feed them sugar.'
'They raided the cupboards!' He replied.
'And where were you?'
'We were trying to catch them!' Will protested.
'Wow. They really are cheeky.' Said Gideon, looking at Barbara's face, sound asleep.
'Really? I told you to make scones, not give them to the children to throw all over the walls.' Said Sophie.
'Why would I give them scones? And anyway, as Will said, they went out of control!'
'I definitely rate this a 5!' Offered Gabriel, his smile seduced quickly as Cecily's eyes unblinking, bored into him.
'I don't find this funny!' She said.
'Well it wasn't my fault.'
'You were supposed to look after them!' She exclaimed.
'Don't look at me! Henry was the one guarding the kitchen!'
'Don't turn this to me!' Said Henry, looking at Gabriel.
Charlotte turned on him.
'You let them raid the cupboards and spill all it's contents on the floor and walls.' She said, looking stern.
His smile was hard to hide, but he still protested.
'They hurt! A lot!' He explained.
'You can kill demons, but you can't look after five children?' She questioned, her tone disbelieving.
'That's exactly what I said.' He replied, looking at Will.
'I told you to keep them calm. They shouldn't've been stuffing themselves with food and then messing everything up!'
'You did say my eggs were satisfactory Lottie.' He said sheepishly, his face turning red.
The women put their heads in their hands, the men standing gawking there.
The scene was funny, but it became funnier when the children piped up.
'Don't forget the weapons!' They all said in unison.
They all stared at Henry, the men looking as though they would never hear the end of it, the women all glaring at him, and the children, giggling hysterically.
He looked at Charlotte, his face as red as his flaming hair.
'Don't look at me!' He said.
The kids giggled with laughter.
