Peace, Love and War-Chapter 10
~Be sure to sign up for the May future fic challenge at the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum and, while you're there be sure to ask klcm a question, as she is the featured author of the week.
"All packed?" Dave asked his daughters as they came down the stairs holding their small duffel bags. The team and his parents had finally left after a day of painting and furniture construction and, because of the summer heat and humidity, he couldn't open the windows to let the paint fumes air out so he was taking Emma, Hannah and Emily to his cabin for a few days.
Both girls nodded. "You have your swimsuits, right? Because there's a pool at the cabin." The two girls brightened considerably at that.
"Really? A pool?" Hannah asked as excitement filled her voice.
Emily nodded, "I know what you're thinking, a cabin should be four drafty walls and maybe, if you're lucky, an indoor bathroom, right?" Hannah nodded. "Not Dave, he likes being comfortable when he's communing with nature. Trust me; the cabin is almost as nice as this place."
"Awesome, I'll go get my bikini," Hannah said and then smiled when she saw the horrified expression on her guardian's face. "Just kidding, Dave; Emily helped me choose a sensible one piece."
"Not funny," he said with a mock growl.
"Come on Hannie," Emma said impatiently, "Let's go get our suits so we can go swimmin' when we get there!" With that, both girls ran back up the steps to get the extra articles of clothing.
"I'm glad Hannah is starting to feel comfortable enough to joke around with me," Dave said with a smile.
"I am too, although I have a feeling it's going to be more of a 'two steps forward, one step back' type of relationship with her for awhile; at least until she really comes to terms with the fact that her father isn't on some secret mission, that he's really dead."
"You think?"
Emily nodded, "I do. The situation would be difficult enough for any kid, but factor in her teenage moodiness and it becomes a bit more volatile."
"I suppose you're right," Dave said with a sigh, not knowing just how prophetic her words would be.
xxxxxxxxxx
An hour and a half later, after many 'are we there yet?' questions from Emma, Dave finally parked the SUV in front of his cabin in the Virginia woods. The four of them got out and, while Dave went to the cargo area to let Mudgie out, Emily stretched and the two girls stared in amazement at the cabin.
"This is your place?" Hannah asked in awe.
Dave nodded as Mudgie nearly toppled him over in his eagerness to leave the car. "Yup, it's my little nature sanctuary."
"Little my ass," Emily mumbled with a snort.
"It's so big," Emma whispered, still not used to living in such luxury.
"Come on girls, grab your bags and let's head inside." The two kids grabbed their duffel bags, as did Emily, and they made their way into the cabin. After the requisite tour of the main floor, Dave led them upstairs and showed them where their shared bedroom was. After that, they all changed into their bathing suits and met at the large, in-ground pool in the backyard.
"Do you both know how to swim?" He asked the girls.
"I do but Emma is just learning," Hannah told him as she put the little girl's water wings on her.
"That's fine, I'll stay with Emma while you and Emily splash around in the deep end," Dave said as walked down the steps and into the shallow end of the pool.
"It's okay Dave, I can stay with her," the teen said as her protectiveness towards her little sister went into overdrive.
"It's fine Hannah, I've got her," Dave said firmly as he tried to establish himself as the parent in the relationship with both of the girls. "Come on in, sweetheart," he said to Emma. The little girl eagerly jumped down the stairs and into the pool, where she was caught by her guardian. Hannah glared at him for a moment before she finally decided it wasn't worth arguing over and joined Emily in the deep end of the pool.
Once the summer sun began fading, they got out of the pool and the women dried off on the deck while Dave grilled up burgers and hotdogs. After that, once it was completely dark out, they went back into the cabin…and that's when Dave faced his first major crisis as a new parent: the dreaded temper tantrum.
After dinner, Emma set up her toys in front of the sofa in the great room and was happily playing with them while Hannah read a book and Dave and Emily watched their favorite TV show. When it was over, Emily got up to fix some snacks for everyone and Hannah joined her in the kitchen. A minute later, Emma got up from her spot on the floor and stood in front of him.
"Dave, can we go home now?" She asked sweetly.
"Sorry, honey," he said as he watched the baseball game behind her. "The house smells like paint, so we're going to have to stay here for a few days until it dries."
"But I wanna sleep in my new princess rooooooom," she whined as her lower lip jutted out in a pout. Dave, who had never heard his youngest daughter whine before, tried reasoning with her again.
"Honey, your princess room will still be there in a few days."
"But I wanna see it now!" She said petulantly as she crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot.
As cute as she looked at the moment, Dave knew he couldn't give into her whining and demands. "I'm sorry Emma, but you're just going to have to wait a few days," he said firmly. "Now why don't we read a book together?" He asked as he picked a children's book up from the coffee table.
"No!" The formerly angelic little girl shouted. "I don't want to read a book with you! You're mean!"
"Emma, we are not going back to the house tonight and that's final. Now, do you want to read with me or would you rather go back to playing with your toys."
"I don't wanna play with my stupid toys," she yelled. "I. Want. To. Go. HOME!" She stomped her foot with each word and her voice reached a pitch that only bats could hear by the end.
"Okay," Dave said calmly. "I think you need a time out; go to your room." He was surprised to see a look of fear flash across her face but it was soon replaced by a look of stubbornness.
"No! I don't wanna go to my room and you can't make me!" Emily and Hannah walked into the room just then and they caught the tail end of the argument.
"Emma Smith, go to your room right now," Dave repeated sternly, putting a slight emphasis on the word 'now.'
The girl glared at him and gave a little growl before she stomped toward the stairs. Since Emily and Hannah had been waiting for the argument to end before fully entering the room, they were standing near the stairs and, as she went by them, Emma deliberately shoved her sister before she ran up the steps and slammed her bedroom door loudly.
"That's it," Dave said, shaking his head resignedly as he got up from the sofa. He started for the staircase and was surprised when Hannah moved in front of it to block him.
"Where are you going?" She asked in a determined tone of voice.
"Upstairs to see your sister," he replied. "She has to learn that she can't behave like that, nor can she shove people just because she doesn't get her own way."
"No," Hannah said forcefully as she remained in place. "Just leave her alone and let me deal with her."
"Listen young lady," Dave said as his annoyance grew with his older daughter. "The last time I checked, I'm in charge here and I'm the one who hands down punishments, not you."
"I don't care," she said stubbornly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I am not going to let you spank her!"
"Spank her?" Dave asked in confusion. "I'm not going to spank her, I'm going to talk to her about her behavior and let her know it was unacceptable and then I'm going to tell her that she can't go on tomorrow's family hike through the woods."
"Oh." Now it was Hannah's turn to be confused. "O…okay then," she said as she stepped aside.
"Hannah, is that how your dad punished you and Emma?" Dave asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
"Well, yeah," she said, as though it should be obvious. "Once mom died, dad settled most things with his belt."
'Jesus Mark, what the hell happened to you?' Dave thought as he struggled to not say anything negative about his friend. "Is that why Emma looked so scared when I sent her to her room?"
Hannah nodded, "Yeah, with dad there wasn't any talking, just punishment." While she loved her father and could deal with his punishments, she'd always thought he was too hard on Emma and she was glad Dave was going to go easy on her.
"Well I'm not like your dad," Dave told her as he started up the steps.
"No kidding," the teen mumbled but, again, there was confusion in her voice instead of complete animosity.
Shaking his head slightly, Dave reached the top of the stairs and entered the girl's shared bedroom. In it, he found Emma standing in a corner of the room, which must have been one of Mark's punishments and it was one he could actually get behind. She was facing it, but Dave could tell by the shaking of her small body that she was crying. With a small sigh, he sat down on the edge of one of the twin beds.
"Come here Emma," he said gently. The little girl turned around and he could see the tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry Dave!" She cried as she walked toward him like she was going to her own execution. It was obvious that she was expecting some form of physical punishment, which is why she was surprised when he reached for her and sat her on his lap.
"I know you're sorry honey, but you can't go around shoving people and yelling at them when you don't get your way," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her. "That is unacceptable behavior for a big girl like you."
"Sor-sorry," she hiccupped, still worried about the punishment to come.
"I know you want to sleep in your new bedroom but the paint fumes would make you sick; that's why we're staying here for a few days."
Emma clung to him, still sobbing. "Uh huh," she said in a shuddery voice.
"And the next time I tell you something and you don't agree with it, I expect you to talk to me about it nicely."
"Okay," she agreed through her tears.
"I also want you to apologize to your sister for pushing her," Dave told her as he rubbed her back.
Emma's crying had slowed by that time and Dave felt her nod her head against his chest.
"And you and I are going to stay here tomorrow afternoon while Emily and Hannah go hiking."
With that, the spark came back into the little girl's eyes and she gave a chuff of frustration, but she nodded her head in agreement again.
"Okay then, if you can be nicer to everyone, we can go back downstairs. Can you behave, or do you need more time up here?"
"I'll be good," she told him as she slid off of his lap. She was confused by the turn of events but, even at her young age, she knew she'd gotten off incredibly lightly. "Dave?"
"What is it, sweetie?" He responded as he stood up.
"I'm sorry I was a bad girl tonight."
As he stared down into her mournful puppy dog eyes, Dave felt tears prick his own eyes. "Aww Emma, you weren't a bad girl, you just had a rough night, but you'll always be my princess, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer, he just scooped her into his arms and planted a kiss against her temple, which drew a small smile from her.
With her still in his arms, the two of them went back downstairs and re-joined Emily and Hannah in the great room.
"You okay, Emma?" Hannah asked nervously from her spot on the couch. Sure, Dave said he was only going to talk to her, but he could've easily changed his mind once he got up there.
The 6 year old nodded as Dave set her down. As soon as she was on her feet, she ran over to her older sister and threw herself onto her lap. "I'm sorry I pushed you, Hannie," she said as she gave her a ferocious hug. "I was mad."
"It's okay Em," she said as she rubbed her back. "I still love you. Did everything go okay with Dave?"
She nodded, "I can't go in the woods with everyone tomorrow, but he didn't spank me."
"Well that's good," Hannah said as Emma pulled out of the hug and sat down next to her.
"I know that's how your dad punished both of you, but that's not my style," Dave told them. "I can't promise it won't ever happen, but I prefer grounding and the removal of privileges." Both girls nodded, so he continued. "I think now is a good time to discuss the rules and expectations I have for both of you."
Hannah let out a sigh and rolled her eyes; 'here it comes,' she thought, 'this is when he's gonna get controlling.'
"First," he said. "Either Emily and I need to know where you are at all times. That might seem over protective, but we've seen a lot of terrible things in our jobs and I don't want to have to constantly worry about where either of you are." Seeing Emily nod in agreement next to him, he continued listing the rules. "Second, both of you will have chores around the house and I expect them to get done in a timely manner. It goes without saying that you'll need to clean up after yourselves, but you both will also have some specific chores assigned as well."
"What kind of chores?" Emma asked.
"I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure it out when we get back to the house," he told her. "I also expect the two of you to do your best in school. You don't have to bring home straight A's, but I'll be disappointed if you don't try your absolute best."
Hannah nodded in agreement with that rule; her grades were usually high so she didn't have a problem with that requirement.
"Finally, you will treat both Emily and I with respect and not argue or talk back to us." He knew he didn't have a chance in hell with this rule, especially since one of the kids he was talking to was a teenager, but he thought he'd throw it in there anyway. It didn't help when he saw Emily hiding a smile behind her coffee mug. He could almost hear her saying 'good luck' in his head.
"I also reserve the right to add or adjust the rules and expectations if the need arises in the future. Do either of you have any questions?"
Hannah did. "When you say you need to know where we are at all times, do you mean I have to account for my whereabouts even when I'm out with my friends?"
Dave nodded, "You'll need to tell me where you're going ahead of time and you'll also need to let me know if those plans change. We'll discuss your curfew at a later date."
The teen could feel herself getting pissed off; she'd been pretty independent since her mother died four years previous and she wasn't looking forward to giving up that freedom. She was about to open her mouth to argue with her new guardian but she glanced down and saw her sister dozing against her, so she decided to just nod and agree…she could always argue with him when they discussed her curfew.
Emily also saw how tired both Emma and Hannah looked. "How about we all go to bed?" She suggested. "It's been a long day for everyone and I know I could use some shuteye."
"Okay," Hannah agreed.
"Why don't you two go on ahead; Dave and I will lock up down here and then we'll be up to say goodnight." Hannah nodded and led her sister up the steps. As soon as they were out of earshot, Dave sat back in his chair and let out a relieved sigh.
"Well, you survived your first parenting test," Emily said with a gentle smile.
"God Em, Emma was actually afraid of me when I went into her room tonight!"
"I know, but you put their minds at ease about your parenting style and you let them know what you expected from them with little argument in return. All in all, I think you did really well."
"Thanks Em. How did it go with Hannah while I was up talking to Emma?"
"Pretty well," she said. "She was nervous and I think a large part of her expected you to physically discipline Emma, but you didn't and I think you earned her trust tonight."
"Good," he said as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He'd successfully navigated his first parenting crisis and it had exhausted him.
"Come on," Emily said as she got up and held her hand out to him. "If you're going to be exhausted, it's going to be from something I've done to you."
"Are you out of your mind, woman? Did you forget about the little girl who told everyone that she and her sister heard us having sex last night? The little girl who will be sleeping on the other side of our bedroom wall? Do you want that to happen again?"
Emily shook her head, "Nope, so we're going to have to be extra quiet tonight." With that, she darted quickly up the stairs and Dave, despite his misgivings, eagerly followed.