Chapter 1-5: All of their planning allowed them to have a great adventure to San Francisco, but Joe and Jax are finally caught
Chapter 6: The Game is Over
The twins were laughing as they walked into their hotel room, talking about their day. Not realizing that fury itself was inside their room.
Joe opened the door looking back at his sister, whose face had paled immediately. When he turned back he saw his father and two brothers were sitting in the room looking like they wanted to slaughter them. His first instinct was to shut the door and run for his life dragging his twin with him. His second was to throw her in so he could have a head start.
"Hi," Jax squeaked reaching out for her brother's hand. Joe took it.
No one moved or said a thing. Finally Ben got up, pulled his two children in the room, and slamming the door.
"Pa, we can…" Jax started but stopped when her father smacked her really hard on her backside.
"Jacqueline, I suggest you only answer questions put before you and say nothing else," Ben growled. "Pack your stuff; we're leaving in ten minutes."
"Yes sir." They both said.
Hoss was sitting on the bed so Jax dared speaking looking at her father first to see how far away he was first,
"Hoss I have money under the mattress." Hoss got off the bed and picked the mattress up for his little sister.
"Thank you," Jax said walking over and handing the money to her father, hoping he wouldn't smack her backside again. She was sure he would do that enough the moment they returned to his hotel.
Ben, Adam, and Hoss glared at the elusive children they had been chasing for over a week packed their stuff in silence, neither child dared to look at them. Once they were finish, Ben said,
"Let's go."
Jax and Joe felt like condemned criminal about to face the gallows. Jax arm was held by Adam and Joe was held by their father. Both men poised to strike if the twins dared to speak or run away.
"My room is 136. Go up and stay there," Ben said ordered.
They didn't need to be told twice.
Once upstairs Jax asked,
"So is this going to be as bad as the frog incident?"
"Maybe a combination of the skipping school and the frog incident combined?" Joe said.
"It was worth it," Jax said smiling.
"Yeah, thanks for going," Joe said smiling. He had a feeling they wouldn't smile the rest of the night.
Downstairs:
Ben sat down; he'd never been so angry. Those two were going to be the death of him. Adam brought a whisky over and handed it to Ben. As usual Adam thought the twins were lucky that Pa didn't punish them when he was angry.
The three men sat in silence. No one said a word for over ten minutes, finally Ben spoke,
""Hoss, I need you to go up there and make sure they don't leave. By this point they are contemplating their need to escape," Ben said. "Adam I need you to buy three tickets for the stage for two days from now. I will have the twins with me and you will take the their horses' home with you tomorrow. Please return the horses you borrowed and tell Ebenezer I am extremely grateful for everything."
"Yes sir."
"Pa, you're not coming home with us?" Hoss asked.
"I need to have a very serious talk with my two youngest and it will take a day or so to drive home my point," Ben said ominously.
"Are you going to say anything to them tonight?" Adam asked.
"No, you are." Ben said. At Adam's puzzled expression, he added, "Since it was you who they disobeyed, you need to punish them. I don't think they would have tried this foolishness if you had been the one out of town and I was at home."
"Yes sir."
"And Adam, I'm sorry about last night," Ben said.
"I deserved it. I know better than to raise my voice to you especially when you are angry," Adam said smiling.
Upstairs:
Hoss walked into room to his brother and sister talking to each. Both looked up with fear in their eyes and then relief.
"Oh, I wouldn't look relieved to see me. I'm angrier than a swarm of yellow jackets."
"Hoss we just wanted to have some fun," Joe said smiling, if anyone would be on their side it would be Hoss.
"FUN! Did you know Adam and I were robbed and that Pa lost that lumber contract? You broke that fence knowing Adam would blame me. When you came up there you know saw what Adam was putting me through you still didn't say anything. How could you do that to me?" Hoss thundered.
"But Hoss…" Jax tried.
"Jacqueline I ain't listen to excuses. It was wrong and you know it."
"But, Hoss…" Joe tried. Hoss just glared at him. "Sorry Hoss."
"Sorry, Hoss. We didn't mean to get you in trouble with Adam" Jax tried, "but it was the only way we could go and we wanted to go."
"You wanted ! What about what Adam, Pa, or I wanted! I can tell you what I didn't want! I didn't want to fix a fence you broke, round up steers that I already had, have my oldest brother dress-me down for hours, only to come home and see my younger brother and sister missing!" Hoss yelled.
"But, Hoss," Jax tried again.
"Girl say but one more time and you'll feel my hand hitting yours" Hoss roared. "Besides I ain't finished. I didn't want to get robbed, deprived of sleep, run around this city, or listen to Pa yell at us for letting you go!"
"I don't know why you're yelling at us when you know Pa is gonna do just that the minute he gets up here! We said sorry about the fence! About getting robbed and stuff you didn't need to come! We would've come home!" Jax yelled not because she was mad at Hoss, but she needed a way to express the fear that was building. If Hoss was this mad. What was it going to be like to face her father? Hoss never got mad, Pa on the other hand… Jax didn't have time to finish her thought, because she felt Hoss grab her arm and less than a second she was over his knee
"I'm sorry. Hoss don't, please…." Jax begged, but was unable to finish because Hoss's heavy hand came down hard.
"Oww. Hoss…
She wasn't able to get anything else out as his hard hand came down ten more times. Each one was harder than the first.
"Joseph, come here."
"Uh uh. Hoss, she was the one who yelled at you," Joe said backing up and glaring at his sister. He wanted no part of what just happened. Hoss was a big guy and tanning by him would really hurt. "Why do I deserve to get tanned?"
Not even dignifying his question with a response, Hoss grab his little brother and dragged him across the room giving him the same treatment as his sister
Both sobbed looking at their brother it total disbelief rubbing their throbbing backsides.
"What I just gave you ain't nothing compared to what Pa and Adam are going to do." Hoss snapped as Adam walked in the door. Like the twins he was in utter shock. It took him a moment to find his voice and say,
"Hoss, I want a moment alone with these two."
"Good, I'm finished here," Hoss said and stormed out.
Adam sat down in a chair still not believing Hoss had actually tanned them. He waited until they were done crying before saying, "Well?"
"Where's Pa?" Joe asked not wanting to deal with Adam.
"Not ready to deal with your actions YET," Adam said, "Well?"
"We wanted to see San Francisco so we came," Jax said not looking up still sniffling.
"You just went? At eleven you thought you could make that kind of decision?" Adam said.
"We were only going to be gone two weeks at the most," Joe said. "We just didn't think everyone would get this mad."
"Mad isn't even close to what we are right now," Adam said. "Pa can't even walk in this room and Hoss just tanned your hide."
"Hoss tanned us because I yelled at him," Jax said miserably.
"I highly doubt that was only reason. Answer my question. Should two eleven year olds make that decision?"
'Adam, it was just our chance to see things. You were younger than us when Pa brought you to Nevada Territory," Jax tried.
"You missed a key point Jacqueline, PA BROUGHT ME!" Adam yelled.
"Well, Pa wouldn't bring us and we asked," Jax mumbled. Adam took two steps toward his sister and she moved back five. Adam took a deep breath trying to calm down.
"So you just went on your own," Adam said.
"Yeah, we weren't thinking," Joe tried.
"That's the problem with you two, you never think about tomorrow, just what you want today," Adam snapped. "What? Did you think we would sit on the Ponderosa and wait for us to come back?"
"No, we knew you would come," Jax said.
"Of course you did. That's why you set up such an elaborate plan. You ensured that we would be so distracted that you could have a head start and do what you wanted."
"Adam, we didn't know you guys would get robbed or that Pa would lose the lumber contract. We just thought we would have fun," Joe said.
"Fun? So worrying your family to death and chancing your life is fun?"
"We didn't chance our lives, we brought guns with us," Jax protested.
"HOSS AND I HAD GUNS WHEN WE WERE ROBBED!" Adam bellowed.
"Adam, we didn't think of it like that. We thought it was just another one of adventures" Joe implored.
"Traveling over 250 miles from home on your own, sleeping on the side of the road with animals and people who could hurt or kill you, and coming to a place where you know Pa won't let Hoss wander around alone. You thought it was just another one of your adventures?"
"Well, I guess not when you put it that way," Joe answered.
"Guess not!" Adam snarled losing his temper now.
"Adam," Jax pleaded, "We're sorry."
"You're sorry? Sorry isn't going to cover it Jacqueline. You have done so many things wrong in the past two weeks, I don't even know where to begin."
"Adam you don't understand, " Jax said.
"You're absolutely right, Jacqueline I don't understand." Adam knew his patience was up and he needed to leave. "I don't want to hear any more excuses, I don't want to hear I'm sorry, in fact I don't want to hear anything else from the two of you tonight."
Adam stormed out of the room and down the hall hoping that Hoss was in their room. Thankfully Hoss was there.
"They don't think they really did anything wrong," Adam stormed.
"Yep. I was in there five minutes and they said enough for me to spank them. To be honest I could go back in there and give them seconds," Hoss said.
"Be my guest."
""Jax had the gall to yell at me! The only thing I could do was tan her hide. Joe said he didn't deserve a tanning because he didn't yell at me. He though the only reason I tanned his sister was because she yelled at me," Hoss said shaking his head. "I never thought I would raise my hand to them."
"Me neither. After all the time you said I was plain mean for putting them over my knee," Adam said smiling.
Hoss had calmed him down enough to go back in there, he was not giving them a chance to say a word when he walked back in.
"So what are you going to do now?" Hoss asked
"I'm going in there one more time. I just had to walk away for a minute, to clear my head before they feel the sting of my belt."
"Good luck. I'm going down and get a beer."
"Get one for me too please. I'll need it." Adam said walking back towards the twin's room.
The minute Adam walked out the door Jax said,
"This is worse than the frogs."
"I think we are getting another whipping if Adam walks back in," Joe said.
"That's not fair. Pa hasn't even been up yet. You know he's going to tan us. Pa never lets Adam punish us when he's home. Not to mention Hoss spanks really hard," She whined rubbing her sore backside.
"But, we kinda put Adam through a lot too," Joe said.
"I still don't regret coming," Jax said stubbornly.
"Me neither, but I might once everybody's done with us," Joe said rubbing his backside.
Adam didn't bother to knock. They looked up at him with fear followed by tears. Well they were about to cry a lot more in a few seconds.
"Adam…" Jax started. Adam held up his hand.
"Don't say a word," he warned. "I'm going to say what I have to say without any interruptions from the two of you. First, you knew you were wrong because of the elaborate plan you made it so you could come to San Francisco, two you stole money which is something that goes against everything Pa has ever taught you, third you took guns that you know you are not allowed to even touch. All so you could have an adventure that you had no right to take. That doesn't even cover the risk to your lives and ours."
Adam took off his belt and grabbed Joe who was doing everything in his power to stay away from his brother,
"Bend over this bed, NOW!" Adam said.
"Adam…" Joe said as he did what Adam said. At the first hit Joe started pleading,
"Adam please..stop… finally the word died and there were only wails and cries as Adam tanned him with his belt until Adam was sure his brother would think twice about doing this again.
Next he turned his attention to his sister. Adam was happy she was wearing pants for once, because he didn't have petty coats to deal with. She started backing up to the window.
"Do not make me come over there and get you," Adam said ominously.
"Adam…" Jax pleaded like her twin. She received the same treatment her brother received. Adam gave her a few extra because he was sick and tired of her excuses.
When he was finished he put his belt back on and said,
"Get in your bed cloths and get into bed. Do not say a word the rest of the night. Pa still hasn't dealt with you and if you don't want another tanning tonight I would go to sleep."
Adam walked out of the room. Leaving two sobbing eleven year olds who did exactly what they were told for the first time in their lives. Not daring to talk to each other.
Adam walked downstairs and grabbed the beer his brother had waiting for him.
"Wow that sounded bad," Hoss said smiling. "I think everyone in this hotel, maybe the block, knows that two kids received a sound tanning."
"I didn't give them even half of what they deserved," Adam said.
Both men walked over to their father. He looked at his sons and said,
"I take it they're not repentant."
"No sir, I tanned them too," Hoss said. Ben looked at his middle son in amazement.
"Let me guess who pushed you over the edge, my darling Jacqueline," Ben said smiling.
"That girl doesn't know when to shut her mouth," Hoss said scowling.
"I went in after Hoss and the excuses were still flying. Pa, they honestly didn't think they did anything wrong," Adam said.
"Do you think they do now," Ben asked.
"I think they know they shouldn't have done it, but I don't think they understand why."
"They'll understand that during the next few days with me," Ben said.
"Good luck getting through those thick skulls," Adam said.