Thanks everyone for the comments and PM.

Little Christmas present, a second chapter this month.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Enjoy!

Drowned

Evi was often exhausted in her last days, resting whenever she could or rather as soon as an angry Scott forced her to.

"I want you to rest honey, please obey me."

"Alright Scott, but I still have paper I must get corrected for tomorrow!"

"You rest for two hours and I'll help you correct your papers, okay?"

"Alright honey, I'm going ..."

"Thank you!"

"John, are we leaving tonight?" asked Will.

"I don't know Will, we're gonna get caught, we do it too often."

"But no, Mom is tired right now, Daddy goes to bed early to stay with her. And your daddy is still in his office if he's not sleeping." said Will.

"Okay for tonight, but not until next week after that." said Johnny.

"Okay"

"Scott?"

"Yes?" Scott said, looking up from the copies he was correcting.

"I have something to tell you, but I don't want you to get mad or punish them."

" What do you want to tell me? I'll decide if I'm upset or not, you know I'll be fair."

"Well I have seen a slack in William and Johnny's schoolwork. Johnny is blatantly down, his work is no longer up to par. William's is still very good, you know school is easy for him, yet he does not put as much detail in his answers as before, even if they are correct."

"Since when?" Scott asked.

"A few weeks, maybe a month."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought it would be okay, I didn't want you to spank them for that."

"I don't always spank Evi, I have other ways to punish them, sometimes a harsh growl is enough, or restrict them. But I admit I have a preference for spanking. It's quick and efficient. If I decide to spank them, it's because they deserve it."

Scott stood up then.

"Johnny! William! Come here now!"

In two seconds, the two children were in front of him.

"Evi has noticed a slowdown in your schoolwork lately. Do you have an explanation?" The man asked sternly.

William and Johnny looked at each other, he knew exactly what was going on.

"No sir" they said.

"Go get me your homework for tomorrow." Scott ordered, catching the kids off guard since usually their homework wasn't checked.

"We need to stop our outings for awhile. Dad will guess eventually, he's far from stupid,. William said in a whisper.

"I told you, we're gonna get caught if we do it too often." Johnny replied in the same tone.

The homework was done, but rather sloppy, all the other divisions were made for Johnny, with the idea that William had written a quick text in English and was only writing the correct answers to the upper divisions, without developing them.

Scott had them finish their homework in front of him, surprisingly, in less than twenty minutes everything was done right.

"So it's not the job that's the problem, it's just that you botch them to go play, right? Look at me!"

The children met his gaze.

"Yes sir," they confessed softly.

"You are both restricted for the week!" Scott decided. "School, chores only, the rest of the time will be spent on your homework. I want a big improvement this week, if you don't try harder I'll take you on my knees for a good spanking! Am i clear enough?"

"Yes sir." They said.

"Alright, go to your room until dinner."

"Thanks Scott, you were tough but you just gave them a chance."

"Yes, I'm going to go see my father to tell him and inform him that I will manage my brother if he allows me to."

"Dad, I scolded William, I couldn't help but include Johnny at the time. They were together."

"I understand Scott, you know you have all rights over your brother! You manage as you want with my permission."

"I knew it, but thank you for your trust, Dad. "

"Do you want me to talk to him too and scold him a bit?"

"Honestly, no Dad. I've punished him already and he knows the spanking will be coming if he doesn't straighten up. It wouldn't be fair for him to be punished twice for the same thing when William is not."

"Okay, you're right."

"I don't want to rob you of your role as a father, but our family is special. I'm a man and a father, I have to have authority over Johnny, more than a brother with little age difference would. Daddy, I love him almost like a son and I know he loves me almost like a father, but he loves you too, just as much. It is complicated!"

"Yes, and Johnny is practically William's brother, more than his uncle. You were already a second father to Johnny even before Sam came into the family. William reinforced that bond of you to Johnny, but we already talked about it Scott, our family is ... out of the ordinary, but it works well like that. You are the leader, it is undeniable. I am not jealous that you are the second father of your brother, thank you! I think Johnny is used to that, he knows he has to meet two fathers in his life. You are right that he should not be punished by two dads for the same thing. It's where you, where me, with some exceptions. And you know what my son, he will become a man twice wiser! "

"Thanks Dad. I agree! Scott hugged his father in a tight hug. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too, little boy." Murdoch said making his son smile.

In the evening, two little girls knocked on Scott and Evi's room.

"Yes, come in." Scott said after a moment.

"Dad? Can we have a good night hug again?" Sam asked.

Scott laughed and glanced at Evi who nodded.

"Sure, come over here, take it easy with Mom, please."

Two little girls threw themselves into Scott's arms, and he wrapped his strong arms around them, hugging them tightly to his chest.

"I love you Dad!" Sam said.

"Me too!" Said Lou

Scott laughed again.

"I love you even more so too!" He declared.

"I love you Mom!" Lou said.

"Me too, Mom," Sam said softly.

"I love you girls too" Evi replied, hugging in turn.

"Well, with all this love, we're going to drown!" Said Scott, teasing. "It's time to go to sleep, come on, I'll take you bedroom. Don't get up! Okay?"

"Yes Dad."

"Honey, please, will you get me a cup of tea?" Asked Evi.

"Yes my love."

Scott put his little girls back to bed and took the route to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, two little boys sneaked out of the house, armed with fishing rods and worms, heading for the river in the beautiful moonlight of that icy night.

After trying to fish in vain, Johnny wanted to come back, but William wouldn't, not until he caught something.

"Come on Will, the fish have to sleep! Scott will have our skin if we're tired in school and don't improve our grades, I don't want a bare spanking on his knees! And that's what we are going to get. He said he would! Let's go! Please!"

"No! One more moment, the fish will come!"

"No!" Johnny gripped the back of William's shirt tightly. Will, surprised and surely by reflex to the touch on his back, pushed John into the water which as he fell, pulled William with him.