The weather had been uncharacteristically beautiful for weeks on end, which for most of the populace is an agreeable thing. And yet, those who are... predisposed to evading the sun, an excess of warm sunny days does no gayety bring.
Instead the younger residents of the Cullen home moped about in hopeless boredom, which we all know (and secretly hope) leads to mischief. Said mischief began in small doses; personal belongings moved to strange or hard to retrieve places, knobs missing from radio dials and left at full volume, books turned every which direction on bookshelves with their decorative covers swapped one to another.
Next it grew to more personal attacks; Edward's sheet music being found "rearranged", Alice and Rose's favorite shoes were discovered tied to the feet of a neighbors wandering dog. Until the mischief grew to become a spectacle for the public. Street signs found their cardinal directions askew. Many front porches were donned with the spoiled remnants of best laying hen Hester Sue's secret brooding nest. And yet, the only mischief that received the notice of adults, was the one that kept coin from the pocket of Marshal Doughouty, who just so happened to own the local theater, among several other lucrative enterprises.
With giggles and merriment, three young people with faces hidden behind magazine covers exited a showing of "The Night of Horror" and made way to a theater with "Home Ranger" tacked above the door. The content of neither movie was considered appropriate by any parental standard, and yet the content concerns is not what caused Marshall to ring the police.
"Yes. They have been show hopping since 9 am..." Marshal paused to hear the response on the other line. "I understand it's summer and it's hot out, but these hooligans need to pay for the show..." another pause. "Well I reckon each one owes me at least $2 and I expect an officer down here to make sure it gets paid!"
The receiver was slammed down to end the call but was immediately picked back up.
"Yes. Operator. The General Hospital, quickly. I need to speak with Cullen."
The line was dead silent for several minutes which only added to the temperamental man's frustration.
"I'm sorry sir" came a response from the operator. "He's in a surgery right now and not available to take a phone call. Can I take a message?"
And with more vim vigor and sarcasm than necessary the old man yelled into the receiver, "You can tell MISTER Cullen that his idiotic children are about to be apprehended by the police, and unless he wants to retrieve them from the police station in handcuffs, he ought to get here before the officers do." The slam that followed nearly knocked the telephone off the desk.
It took to nearly twenty minutes for the officers to show up and to the abject horror of all three teenagers, four police officers shined a bright flashlight directly down their row and called out for them to stand and proceed to the lobby. Each time one of them exited their row, a hand clasped down on their shoulder.
"As if they could stop us if we tried.." Emmet thought to Edward with a grin in his face.
Edward however, was not grinning as the trio was led out into the lobby. He was attempting as best he could to find a way out of their wretched situation. Perhaps they could ditch the cops and run? Or maybe they could talk their way out of it.
"What would cause the least amount of fallout if caught by Carlisle?" He continued to himself. Meanwhile, the lobby had been reached and the fleeting window of a quick, unexpected escape had all but closed. Without stopping to think, Edward ripped free of the officers ineffectually restraining grip and made a bolt for the door.
If only he had stopped to think, for even one fleeting moment. Perhaps he would not have run smack into his young vampire father as they collided across the front threshold. Edward went sprawling as he clutched his head and two officers moved to once again, to restrain the boy.
"What in heavens name is going on in here!"
Two pairs of eyes widened and began to seek any place but the father figures disappointed countenance.
"Are these your children doctor?" Asked one of the officers holding Edward.
"Two of them are." He responded. "The third one I think belongs to Judge Barcley."
"Such a shame when two public figures are disparaged by their kids behaviors." Responded another officer. At that moment, Marshal Doughouty came barreling out of his office, waggling his well manicured finger and white whiskered jowels at the doctor.
"These hoodlums have disrupted my place of business long enough. I DEMAND they be suitibly punished and the money they owe for each movie they snuck into be paid for in triplicate."
"Triplicate?" Carlisle questioned raising his eyebrows.
"Yes!" Marahal yelled. "Triplicate! Unless you'd rather I press charges on your boys here."
Carlisle laughed, "I will see to it that the boys pay you what they owe you Doughouty. No need to threaten them with charges, not unless you expect Judge Barcley to stand for you pressing charges against his son as well."
"Well, I" sputtered the man. "I didn't assume Judge Barclay's son... I mean. He should know better than to... I just mean."
"Perhaps we should move this from the lobby to your office, sir. Then you can release my boys officers." Carlisle suggested. "They won't run."
Two of the officers laughed a sarcastic little quip, "Yea. You say that as if you weren't here thirty seconds ago.'
Carlisle narrowed his eyes at his boys for just a moment before responding, "They. Will. Not. Run. Am I clear?"
Two sets of heads bobbed vigorously while three sets of hands reluctantly let go. Once inside the oddly spacious office, the officer holding onto Dennis Barcley still did not let go.
"You can release him as well. I'll walk him back to his father's office on my way home with my two."
Dennis groaned.
When all three boys were released and standing nervously before the doctor, Carlisle instructed each boy to turn out their pockets. It became quite clear that the mischief had been done for the love of mischief since each boy had more than enough pocket change to pay for the movies they attended.
"As I suspected." Carlisle frowned. Marshal began sputtering in an effort to once again be the loudest in the building, but Carlisle silenced him without even issuing a threatening look.
"Bend over boys." He said in his quiet patient voice.
Marshal, the officers, and Dennis's eyes widened to their full size as they stared back and forth at Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle.
The boys immediately began their pleading, "Aww dad please! Not here... we'll never do it again, please dad this isn't fair!" One plea jumbled over the other, but Carlisle didn't say a word. He raised an eyebrow in warning as he unfastened the belt around his waist. The pleading quickly petered out as the boys realized how seriously Carlisle intended his direction.
What was left unsaid, or unheard as it were, to the onlookers and fellow miscreant, was a brief threat and plea of Carlisles own thoughts.
"Eddie boy. We're in a jam here. The police are involved. We have to make it look like I've handled the situation strictly enough to dissuade the officers from looking into this any further. Comply immediately or the consequences at home will be unfathomable."
Edward grabbed and fidgeted with the side of his pants, but slowly turned around and bent at the waste, bracing himself hands to knees. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut in an attempt to block out the humiliating scene before him.
Though he was able to block out the sight of it all, he was unable to block the sound. He heard all too clearly the whoosh of the belt and sickening crack of impact, leather to rear. The swat wasn't all that hard to Edward's great relief.
"Play it up boy. That would have heart like hell if you were human." Carlisle instructed telepathically.
Edward groaned loudly in response. He heard a stifled grunt of satisfaction from across the room. No doubt that blowhard Doughouty. He heard a brief inhale of breathe from a sympathetic onlooker and then a second half hearted swat landed. This time Edward caught onto his father's game. He gasped in response. A little humiliation was preferable to a true Carlisle smack down.
The charade continued with Edward making soft groans, gasps, or stifled cries for six more swats.
"Two for each movie you entered without paying for." Carlisle informed the room. "That along with your pocket change deposited directly to Mr. Doughouty, and I'd say that's a pretty fair payment in triplicate. Wouldn't you say Marshal?" Carlisle questioned. Edward stood and fished again for his change, offered the correct amount, and said a contrite "sorry" before backing away behind Emmett.
"Emmett?"
Emmett groaned, not having paid enough attention to catch onto the charade. He started towards his father with great trepidation, then slowly turned around and braced in the same fashion as Edward had.
After the first swat, he turned around and looked at Carlisle in confusion. To his comfort, he could see the others casting their gaze everywhere except directly at the spectacle in the center of the room.
"Turn around son." Carlisle reminded him. Emmett complied with a furrow of his brow only noticing at the last moment the covert winking coming from Edward. Now being clued in, he took to theatrics worthy of the movie screens they had just been enjoying. He loosed "ows" "ahs" and "no more dad pleases" through each swat. Carlisle rolled his eyes and motioned for him to pay his portion of the fees.
"Front and center Dennis"
Time seemed to stop. Dennis paled.. Edward and Emmett now took their turn to gawk. A clock on the wall ticked by the seconds with maddening regularity as all clocks do, and yet not many clocks have the misfortune of counting the moments that Carlisle Cullen is not obeyed.
"Well?" Carlisle questioned when nearly thirty seconds passed. Dennis inhaled a ragged breathe, licked his lips, and started to make for the belt wielding father of his best friends.
"No No No! Dad no. It wasn't his fault. It was our fault. We made him do it! He said it was a bad idea. We didn't listen and we made him go with us!" Started Edward.
"Yea dad." Continued Emmett. "It was all us. Not him. We'll pay his part and take his smacks. Seriously dad please!"
Carlisle held up his hand to silence his sons. "Did they force you Dennis?" He asked. The boy shook his head no and took another tentative step forward.
"I thank you for your honesty son. You can bend over right there."
And to Edward and Emmett's complete dismay, they watched his father whip their friend eight times with his belt. Dennis took his smacking far more stoically than either boy had pantamimed, and when Carlisle had finished, he righted himself, paid up, issued a sincere apology, and then joined his friends on the opposite end of the room.
"Well. I believe we are more than finished here." Carlisle said offering his hand to the officers first, then to Marshal before threading his belt back through its loops. "Let's go boys."
And with that they left the theater in a silent stupor.