Inside the office was the typical pre-punishment spectacle. Carlisle stood in front of the two boys who sat looking up at him from the couch. He paced slowly, stopping only to ensure his wife had a comfortable seat when she unexpectedly entered.
"My darling, I didn't expect to see you. Usually you stay away from my office when I have naughty miscreants up here."
"I had to see for myself what was going on in here." She said taking the comfortable office chair offered to her. "You were whistling on your way, which is very unlike you indeed."
"Yea dad." Emmett pouted. "You should at least look a little upset having to bust our tails."
Carlisle laughed. "Well to be honest my darling, you have nothing to be worried about. I can assure you I am in my right mind."
Three pairs of eyes questioned the statement, but not one was willing to voice the accusation.
"I am concerned about the right mindedness of our boys here though." He continued. "They snuck into the theater with a human friend, the judges son to be exact, proceeded to sneak into three additional movies, and then when being detained, Edward tried to run away."
Everyone sat silently for a moment.
"Well?" Carlisle prompted. "I would like an explanation."
"See Pops, it was like this." Emmett started explaining. "It's been horrifically boring the past couple of week, and we've been trying to find new ways to entertain ourselves."
"Yea it's been the worst." Added Edward.
"So we decided we'd start daring each other to do funny stuff, you know for the entertainment?"
"Is that why my garden sheers were glued shut?" Esme questioned with a frown. "And my gloves frozen solid in the bird bath?"
Two nervous laughs broke the silence.
"I don't think it's very funny." She responded.
"Sorry mom."
"So all of this is the result of daring?" Carlisle asked.
The boys nodded.
"So which one of you dared the other to sneak into the theater? Theaters showing inappropriate movies at that?"
This question illicited a silent uncomfortable aversion of eyes as neither wanted to be the one to have to tell the whole truth. Carlisle waited patiently.
"Well technically neither of us." Edward answered.
"Well then dear, who "technically" was it?" Esme prodded in her gentle way.
For a moment, Edward considered lying and blaming Dennis. Like Carlisle would truly ring the judge and tattle with this new information. There was of course the chance he truly would, and then Dennis would have the opportunity to defend himself. Being caught in a lie was not a pleasant thing in the Cullen household. No. Especially after attempting to evaid the police, honestly is the best policy.
"It was Jasper." He confessed.
Emmett looked annoyed that he had thrown their brother under the bus.
"Tattle tale." He thought as loudly as he could.
"I see." Said Carlisle walking to the door. He opened it and called out into the house, "Jasper, son, I need you in my office please."
The couch creaked in response as Jasper obeyed without hesitation. When he arrived through the door, he still had Esmes book in his hand.
"Yes sah?" He said.
"Did you you dare your brothers to sneak into inappropriate movies?"
"Sorta. Kinda." He shifted his weight. "I mean. Yes sah. I dared them to go see uhm... a dirty movie."
"But did you specifically dare then to sneak in without paying?"
"I guess I did. Sorta insinuate that." He shifted uncomfortably again.
"I see." Carlisle paced briefly before telling Jasper he was dismissed.
"Dismissed sir?" He asked.
"Yes. Dismissed. Thank you for your honesty."
"I... I guess I was expecting... I mean if they are getting... because of me."
Carlisle held up a hand. "Jasper, I appreciate you taking accountability. If you feel like you need to stay because of your part in this, you may join Edward and Emmett on the couch. If you feel absolved of guilt after having confessed your part, you may go."
Jasper thought for a brief moment, then with a downcast fast, handed Esme her book and sat down on the couch.
"Idiot." Emmett hissed.
Carlisle began slowly pacing again.
"Perhaps I have overstayed." Esme said casting a sorrowful look at her boys. "I'll be reading if anyone needs me."
The silence after her leaving was thick.
"Well boys." Carlisle continued. "What you did today was very immature. You drew attention to our family. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had arrested you? Especially after your attempting to run away?" Carlisle let this thought sink in. "They would have taken your name, your photo, your fingerprints... It wouldn't not have been good for us."He paused again to gage the effectiveness of his words. Finding three perfectly contrite boys, he took out sheets of paper and a handful of pens.
"I want a full report on each dare you have issued and each you have taken on my desk this afternoon, so we can discuss the appropriateness or should I say, innappropriatness, of each dare."
"Do I need tocgive one to Alice and Rose." Jasper questioned.
"The girls were in on this too?"
A quick overflowing of words confirmed that, yes, the girls had indeed partaken in daring, but neither had dared anything necessarily untoward.
"Yea" reassured Jasper. "Alice's best attempt at a dare was to dare Rose to say 'love you mom' everytime she passed momma for a whole day."
"And Rose kept daring us to buy her stuff or do chores for her." Added Emmett.
"It wasn't any fun to play with them." Edward rounded out the explanation.
"Very well then, if they are innocent I will not call them in here, but I would like their lists anyways. Jasper you may deliver the instructions when we are finished here."
The boys grew uncomfortably restless.
"There will be no more daring after this." Carlisle instructed. "Am I understood?"
Three heads bobbed.
"Very well. Go on and work on your lists. You're dismissed." Carlisle opened the door and tried hard to keep a neutral expression at the confused look on the boys faces.
"We aren't getting a licken?" Jasper asked?
"Do you want one?" Carlisle smirked.
"No. Absolutely not. No way!" The three responded.
"Then no. I don't see the need for one currently."
Emmet was unable to contain his worry.
"When you said discuss our lists do you mean talk about them... or do you mean... discuss... with your belt."
"I mean conversation Emmett." Carlisle laughed.
"Then why did you drag all this out and make us think we were?"
"Well as Judge Barcley suggested, there's no harm in letting you worry yourself over it." And with that Carlisle whistled his way out of the office to find his wife.
"That man is dastardly." Jasper said. The other two agreed.
Ah... but we all know that's not how the story ends. If you give a teenager an inch...