THE STORM

Chapter 37

Annalise was busily sweeping up wood shavings on the side of the front porch next to his office when Adam quietly came around the other side of the house. She didn't hear him approaching and when he said her name she jumped, badly startled and lost her grip on the broom handle. It clattered loudly when it hit the floor.

She turned around slowly and hung her head, looking up at her father through her lashes, knowing what was coming.

Adam looked down at her with a frown and a sigh of exasperation. "Inside, young lady. Go get Alexander then I want both of you to go to the kitchen and wait there for me." He had a hard time holding onto his stern expression when she sidled past him and disappeared through the front door.

After pausing to think for a few moments, he made up his mind how he would handle this situation and followed her inside. When he walked into the kitchen, both children were sitting in chairs at the table while Thea was busy at the sink. He stopped and quietly said, "Both of you - front and center." They hurried to come and stand in front of him.

Adam crossed his arms and looked down at his two older children narrowly. He shook his head. "I am sick and tired of this disobedience from you two. How many times have I told you Alexander, that your mother and your sister are not your servants? When you make a mess I expect YOU to clean it up. And as for you Annalise, didn't I warn you what would happen if I caught you doing it again?"

The little girl nodded her head and Adam could see her lower lip start to tremble as it pouched out. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her pout, and then continued. "Since you two have decided to cooperate in disobeying me, you will continue to do so in your punishment. Annalise, if I catch you cleaning up after Alexander again, you will both be punished, and if I see that you've left a mess anywhere Alexander, you will again both be punished."

Alexander looked up at his father, shocked. "But that's not fair, Pa!"

"It isn't? You two decided to disobey me in this together, so now you will share in the punishment together. Do you understand why?"

Annalise quickly nodded, but Alex paused, staring at his father with a faint hint of defiance creeping into his expression.

"Do not start with me Alexander," Adam said quietly. "You will not win." He continued to stare coolly into his son's eyes, so much like his own, until Alex hung his head and said a reluctant "Yes sir."

"You also need to be warned Alex, that your mother will not be cleaning up after you either. She will also report to me if you leave a mess lying around for any length of time. Do not wait until right before I come home. Understand?"

Both children were looking at the floor now as they nodded.

"Good, now go to your rooms and stay there until I come for you."

Turning away from him quickly they both sped from the kitchen as fast as they could without actually running. Adam stayed where he was and listened to them scamper up the stairs. Then he heard Annalise shut her room door quietly while Alex banged his shut in a temper.

Adam sighed and looked at his wife who still had her back to him. But he could tell from the way she was shaking that she was laughing. "And so the dance begins..." she managed to choke out before turning toward him. She was still smiling when she said, "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes please," he said as he sat down in the chair at the head of the table. Thea poured it for him then came to set it in front of him before sitting down in the chair to his right.

"I told you things had been too quiet for too long. The lull before the storm is over," she chuckled and her husband gave her a sour look. "That was very clever of you, appealing to his protective nature. I expect he will think twice before doing something that will get his sister in trouble."

"That's what I'm hoping. That boy is just like me in that physical punishment doesn't mean anything to him. It's forgotten as soon as it's over."

Thea's expression became serious. "I know, and that's what's so difficult. He has Joe's careless nature and your thick hide."

He shot her a dark look out of the corner of his eye then reluctantly nodded. "I know you're right and I can't think of a worse combination as far as discipline goes."

She nodded her head and put her hand on his right forearm. "But cheer up! You're not in this alone like your father was. You have me and I can also be a force to be reckoned with."

"So you agree with me on this sharing of the punishment?"

"Yes I do, but even if I didn't I never would have said anything in front of them. That's the worst thing parents can do - argue in front of their children. Especially about discipline issues."

Adam looked at her smiling face and finally smiled back. "I am so thankful you're not an overprotective mother."

"Me? No, never. I've always believed a parent's job is to prepare their child for the outside world, not to make them happy."

He thought about that for a moment then nodded. "I like the way you put that...and it's true too."

She gave his forearm a squeeze and stood. "Just remember, I'm behind you in whatever you think is best. All I ask is that you listen to me if I have a differing opinion," she said as she moved over to the sink again. "I don't think that's too much to ask."

"No it's not," he answered her as he stood and started for the stairs.

"Good luck and remember, only sixteen more years to go!"

Adam groaned, "Thea, that is just not funny."

She listened to him go up the stairs and she could tell that he went to Annalise's room first, aware that he'd never had to give his daughter a spanking before.

"Oh, you poor man..." she said to herself, "it's only going to get much, much worse before it gets any better." Then she turned her thoughts toward dinner and preparing herself for the irritable mood he would no doubt be in for the rest of the day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

All four deputies and Joe were seated around the large table in the meeting room early one morning a few days later when Adam strolled in. The deputies looked at his wide smile and started to laugh while Joe looked on, puzzled.

"Looks like Thea sent him off in a good mood again this morning," Nate told him. Joe just stared at the blonde man for a moment then turned bright red.

Adam laughed at him. "Get your mind out of the gutter Joe, that's not what they're talking about," he said as his deputies laughed harder.

"Then what ARE they talking about?"

"Well...let me ask you a question first. Have you ever seen Thea and I having a fight?"

Joe thought about that for a bit then shook his head. "No, can't say that I have."

The deputies had quieted down now and were looking at their boss in anticipation. "We don't fight like other people do. If you ever hear us being sarcastic to each other, we're fighting, and it usually starts first thing in the morning when Thea wakes up in a bad mood," he said then chuckled. "We have a lot of work to do this morning, so if you'll excuse us Joe, we better get started."

"Come on boss, it's not fair to leave us hanging like that. Tell us about it," Nate pleaded.

Adam gave him a narrow look. "If I do will you all promise to stay focused for the rest of the day?" He couldn't help but smile at their eager nods. "God I see that expression on my kids faces when they want me to read them a story."

All he got in response to that was grins and John saying, "Yeah, tell us a story." Adam rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright then. It all started when I made the mistake of saying 'Good morning.' To which she replied 'If you say so.'"

He looked around at the wide smiles they were all sporting. "Then I asked her if she got up on the wrong side of her web."

John snorted, "What did she say to that?"

Adam shook his head at their eager expressions, "She said, 'As a matter of fact I did and was immediately dubbed Queen of the Bitches.' So I asked her if the judging had been done by popular vote or purely on natural talent."

He was laughing himself now - John was rolling in his chair. "She said, 'Natural talent, of course.'" He paused for a few moments then Nate gasped out, "What did you say next?"

"I told her she was almost as funny as Joe, sorry Joe, and for some reason she seemed to take offense at that."

"Hey!" Joe said while still shaking with laughter.

"Sorry again Joe, but she said I had no call to be getting nasty. I almost lost it right there, I wanted to laugh so much. So I told her it wasn't even six o'clock yet and she'd already gotten in three good shots at me. Then she asked me if I was going to be sitting around the house all day telling her what time it was."

"Oh God," Dylan gasped out with his head down on the table as he laughed helplessly.

"I guess she had enough of my irritating presence at that point because she told me, as my Queen, to get the hell out and not come back until I had a civil tongue in my head."

Mike was wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, "Don't take this the wrong way boss, but I love that woman."

"What did you do then?" John managed to ask.

"What do you think I did? I said 'Yes, your Majesty' and got the hell out of there!" At that, Joe fell out of his chair and the rest cracked up again.

Adam was the first to settle down. "I love the way that woman's mind works, even though it's still a complete mystery to me. I was laughing so hard I couldn't think."

"Hey Adam," Nate said, "do you remember the first tiff Jerry had with her?"

"I'll never forget it. He was trying to goad her into an argument and she told him she refused to have a battle of the wits with an unarmed person. He practically worshipped her after that."

When his audience had settled down he gave Joe a pointed look. "We have to get started now - we'll be leaving for San Francisco tomorrow morning."

Instantly Joe's expression sobered. "You're going after Albrecht then?" Adam nodded.

"Just one question before I go...did Thea win?"

"Definitely," Adam grinned. "We're about 50/50 on that score, but if I don't stop laughing so hard she's going to pull way ahead."

Joe gave him a smart-aleck grin. "I never thought I'd see the day when a woman could beat you like that."

His older brother just shook his head, "You should know by now that Thea is a very special woman. And I know what you're thinking - don't go over to the house. She'll leave YOU on the floor bleeding from open wounds." Then he closed the door in his younger brother's outraged face.