Chapter 4 – Spill the Beans

Carlisle:

We went to the pizza place in town and the boys, Seth and Jake, devoured 2 large pizzas and multiple refills of soda. Esme and I were discussing our girls and what they were up to. I decided to ask Jake and Seth what they knew.

"Jake and Seth, what is up with the girls?" I asked them.

"No idea Dad. Leah keeps wanting to go on perimeter runs and she takes off and we can't catch her. She was always fast, but now she seems to be turbo-charged! We can't keep up with her. She about killed us earlier. The other day she was so anxious, she was killing time while we phased by walking upright on her front and hind legs in wolf form. Go figure," Jake said.

"The girls go off to the cottage and we don't see them for a while. Then when we do, they are all acting odd. Like Bella and Alice laughing all the time and Rosalie yelling. What's up with that?" Seth asked.

"I don't know, but I think I need to have a little talk with the girls when we get home," I said giving Esme a look. I don't like the sound of this. "Boys are you about done eating?" I asked.

"Yep, we're ready whenever you are," Jake said. "Hey Dad, we weren't ratting the girls out."

"I know that, I just asked if you knew if something was going on with them," I replied.

"We ratted them out, Jake," Seth said.

"Yeah, but Dad tricked us. That was sneaky Dad!" Jake complained.

"Don't worry, I already knew something was up so you really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know," I appeased him.

"Yeah, but this involves the yellow rose, so you know how that would go over," Jake reminded me. "She and I have such a close bond."

"You two bring it yourselves," I pointed out to him.

"We like it that way," Jake admitted.

I paid the bill and we left and got into my car to go home and try to figure out what is going on. Jake got in the backseat and as he sat down, he let out a loud and long burp that practically shattered the windows of my car. He and Seth dissolved in laughter.

"Jacob! Where are you manners?" Esme scolded him.

"At home," Jake answered laughing.

"Jacob Cullen, don't think I won't spank your butt when we get home," Esme said glaring at him.

"Okay, okay, I'll turn my manners back on," Jake relented.

"You better, mister," Esme warned him.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful as Jake and Seth were engaged in their phones and their own conversations. Esme and I were talking about the girls. The girls are up to something and I am going to be watching them and trying to get them to spill the beans. As we pulled into the garage, I could hear laughter and the children all talking in the living room. It suddenly became quiet when they heard us pull into the garage. We got out of the car and made our way into the house. Jake and Seth were laughing and cutting up. Esme and I followed them in with me bringing up the rear. I could see the girls straighten up a little when they saw me. I was looking at the group who were suddenly very quiet.

"Hi ya, Pops! Thanks for taking us along," Emmett said to me.

"Yeah, you could have told us you were taking Jake and Seth out. You left Leah behind," Edward pointed out.

"That's okay, I wasn't hungry anyway," Leah said quickly.

"No, you were just running around like a crazy…" Emmett began until he was halted.

"Babe, stay out of it," Rosalie said to him.

"Well, I see you found your normal voice again, Rosalie," I said giving her a hard stare.

"Uh…I guess so…uh…I didn't think I was loud," she said.

"Oh you were loud, ten miles of animal life scattered they were so frightened by your little whispers," Jake joked.

"Are you sure it wasn't because they saw you in your mangy wolf suit," Rosalie fired back.

"Oh you…" Jake started.

"Stop it, both of you," I said to them. "That's enough." Leah was sitting there nervously tapping her foot. I noticed and she saw me looking at her and made her foot stop tapping. "Still feeling stressed out?" I asked Leah.

"Uh…no Dad…just a habit," Leah recovered.

"Is it now? So I see the hyena sisters have stopped their giggling," I said looking at Alice and Bella. They both giggled softly trying to stop themselves. "Oh, a little bit left, huh?" I asked them.

"N-nooo, pfftt, Daddy," Alice giggled halting herself.

"You boys notice anything about the girls and their odd behavior?" I said catching them off guard.

I had made my way into the living room and was standing very near the group with my arms folded staring at all of them. You could tell they were all very uncomfortable.

"Like what, Pops? Their always odd," Emmett said grinning.

"We can't get to the bottom of it, Dad," Edward offered.

"Edward," Bella said knocking his arm.

"Well, he asked me and I answered him," Edward said to her.

"Yes, well I'm going up to my study for a little while. I think maybe you girls should join me," I said holding my hand out to the stairs indicating they should come.

"Oh, we're fine, Daddy. Don't worry so much about us. We were just having girl time and fun," Alice explained.

"I am worried, that is why this is not a request, move it," I said to the girls. They all hesitated a moment but then realized they had no choice. They then began walking to the stairs.

"WELL, HAVE A NICE TRIP WHISPERING ROSE," Jake shouted loudly.

"Jacob, that was right by my ear," I scolded him.

"Sorry Dad," Jake said.

"What trip?" Rosalie asked Jake.

"THE TRIP YOU'RE GOING TO BE TAKING OVER DAD'S KNEE!" Jake shouted again.

"JAKE!" I scolded loudly to him.

"Jacob, come over here and bend over," Esme said to Jake. Jake looked at Esme and then at me. I indicated he should do as his mother said. He reluctantly went over to her.

"Yes Mom," Jake said.

"You heard me, bend over," Esme said to him. He reluctantly bent over and grabbed his ankles. Esme land one sharp smack on the right side of his bottom. "That's for belching in the car." She then landed another one on the left side. "That's for shouting in your father's ear, twice," Esme said satisfied with her handiwork.

"OOWW! OUCH! Mo-om!" Jake complained rubbing the stings. He stood up and had a pouty look on his face.

"You're lucky it was only 2 smacks," Esme said to him.

Rosalie had a smirk on her face and Jake saw it and made a face back to her. The girls filed up the stairs and I followed them into my study. We got in and I motioned for all of them to find a seat in front of my desk. I went and sat behind it. I waited until they all got situated before I began.

"So, who wants to tell me what you four have been up to," I asked my girls.

"What do you mean, Dad," Rosalie asked.

"Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about, we both know you four are up to something so it is in your best interest to tell me now and not let me find out later," I said to them giving them a glaring stare.

"We're fine Daddy," Alice said cheerfully.

"Yes, now you are, but a few hours ago, Rosalie was bellowing like an announcer, Leah was running here and there at warp speed, and you and Bella were giggling at everything. So what have you been up to?" I asked again.

"It must have been an off time for us or something," Bella suggested.

"Oh it was off alright," I admitted.

"Daddy, you worry too much about us," Alice said.

"Yes Dad, we're okay, stop worrying so much," Leah offered.

"I always worry about my children, but this was beyond strange behavior, almost like if you were drunk or on drugs or something like that," I posed to them. "I know that certainly can't be the case now, could it?"

"Dad, you're imagining things," Rosalie said.

"No, I'm not," I said to her.

"Can't we be girls just wanting to have fun? I believe there is a song about that," Alice said.

"Yeah, that's it Dad, we're just bonding as sisters and goofing off as girls, we are still teenagers as you like to point out to us. It's nothing like you suggested. The very idea," Bella said giving me a wry look.

"I am a physician you know," I said to her. "I can tell the difference between goofing off and the effects on a person after taking a drug or alcohol."

"There you go again, needlessly worrying about us. Chill out Daddy, and let us have some fun. We are not hurting ourselves or anyone else," Alice said with a little edge to her voice.

"Need I remind you of my head getting bumped twice after Rosalie scared me talking so loud, and Bella and you coming up behind me and giggling, plus Leah darting out in front of the car and how by being scared by Rosalie and the giggle girls, I almost broke the packages your mother had in the trunk. So someone did get hurt and Leah almost got hurt. You better think that one over again, Alice," I said sternly to her.

"But nothing happened, so it's all okay. Stop worrying Daddy, we're fine," Alice said again.

"You weren't fine and I will always worry. Let me give you a little advice, something is going to happen if I find out you four are up to no good and are doing something that could potentially harm yourselves and others. I suggest you spill the beans now instead of later. You'll get punished now, but if I find out on my own and it's something I perceive as dangerous, you are really going to get it then. All four of you. Now I am asking you again, what is going on with you four," I asked them giving them a glaring look. None of them bailed. They sat stoically looking back at me.

"We told you Dad, nothing is wrong. Just stop worrying," Rosalie said again.

"Girls, I suggest you take a few minutes and discuss this amongst yourselves. I am going to go out for a few minutes and when I get back, I am hoping you will all have come to your senses," I said getting up. I left them alone and as I closed the door and stepped into the hallway, I could hear them talking amongst themselves.

"What should we do?" Leah asked her sisters.

"Don't panic Leah, Daddy's just fishing. He likes to set traps and get you to reveal something to him. Just keep quiet and it will all be okay," Alice said.

"I'd rather tell him and get it over with," Leah said.

"No, then we'll all get it. I'm not looking forward to a sore butt on Christmas," Bella said.

"Well, I'll tell him it was all me and I'll take the blame. If we wait and he finds out, we are really going to get it. I'd like to avoid that," Leah said.

"Don't worry, he won't find out. We just need to be extra careful. Just follow our lead," Rosalie suggested to Leah.

"You realize he always finds out," Leah said. "He's going to be very upset with us, I still say we come clean and get it over with."

"You can't because then we will all be in trouble. Majority rules, we three say no. So we win, just keep calm," Alice said.

"Dad's no fool. He already knows we are up to something," Leah said with a touch of anxiety.

"We can ride this out, just don't fall for any of his tricks trying to slip us up," Alice said.

"You better be right Alice," Rosalie said to her.

"Shhh, here he comes," Alice said.

I walked back into the room that suddenly became very quiet. I walked over and sat down at my desk and looked at all four of my daughters before me, holding each one in my sight one at a time. None of them flinched. All except Leah, she looked a little apprehensive, but then shook it off. I realized I was not going to get anywhere with these stubborn daughters of mine.

"Well, I can see by the looks on your faces you are going to pass on my offer to fess up, so I suppose there is nothing more to say except, good luck," I said eyeing them all again.

"Dad, relax will you? We're fine," Bella said.

"You had your chance, so just be warned, when I find out what you are doing, and I will find out, you better hope it doesn't come back to bite you," I warned them.

"Thanks Daddy, for caring so much about us," Alice said sweetly.

"Dad, we're good," Bella said giving me a thumbs up.

"Nothing's going on," Rosalie said.

"Later Dad," Leah said heading for the door.

They then left my study. I just sat there shaking my head at them. Who do they think they are kidding? They are so guilty, I practically had to wipe the word "Guilty" off each of their foreheads. They are playing with fire and when you play with fire, you get burned.

A few days had passed and I was back on a shift at the hospital and Esme went into town to get some final things for Christmas which was coming very fast next Wednesday. The children were all home alone.

Alice:

"Mom and Dad are gone, let's go to the cottage and try the rest of the shots again. We will have time to do one set of them," Alice suggested.

"What do we tell the guys?" Bella asked.

"Oh, they're doing their own things. Let's just say it is Christmas related again, they won't come near the cottage," Alice said.

The girls then made their way to the cottage and got out the shots. Leah would go into town and purchase more when they needed to.

"How many are we going to do this time?" Leah asked.

"I'm doing 15 at a time," Bella said.

"Isn't that a little overboard," Leah asked.

"Not to vampires, you might want to scale that back a little, Leah," Rosalie suggested.

"Yeah, I think I will," Leah added.

Back in the house:

Emmett had come down the stairs and Jake was sitting in the living room. He looked around and then went to see Jake.

"Where are the girls?" Emmett asked.

"They gave some excuse to go to the cottage and do whatever it is Dad is going to catch them at," Jake said.

"Aw man, I wish they would stop whatever they are doing, I hate it when my Rosie gets in trouble with Pops," Emmett said.

"Imagine how she feels being married to you. You get in as much trouble and I do," Jake said laughing.

"Think they will be down at the cottage a while?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, they're usually gone a couple of hours, why?" Jake asked.

"Want to get Alice and mess with her Christmas tree?" Emmett asked.

"Sure, but what about what Dad said, he warned you not to mess with the tree this year," Jake reminded him.

"Oh he won't know. The real tree will be back in place by the time he gets home," Emmett said.

"Well, in that case, what do you have in mind," Jake asked happily.

"Oh my little wolf bro, you're gonna love this one," Emmett said rubbing his hands together. "Come with me."

To be Continued…

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